Jonas:  Bitten by the Lovebug
by blazergrl89
Summary: 2 girls happen to run into Nick and Kevin Jonas at the airport and quickly become good friends. Incidents occur causing the boys to stay with them for awhile and feelings start for form. Could a relationship last between 2 ordinary girls and 2 rockstars?
1. Chapter 1

"Oh my gosh, I'm so excited about getting to go home and visit for a couple of days," Emma said to her best friend, Piper, as they walked to their gate together at the JKF airport in New York City.

"Yeah I know. It feels like we haven't seen our families in ages," Piper agreed. Although she was originally from New York City and considered the city her home, she also had another home back in Alabama.

Piper and Emma came from two different worlds. Piper was a sassy, well spoken northern girl from New York City, while Emma was a shy and mostly soft spoken southern girl from a small town in Alabama. The two met in high school when Piper moved down to Alabama with her family ,and ever since then the two girls have been inseparable.

The girls dreamed of one day becoming famous musicians, so of course, they did what all dreamers do…move to a bigger city, and since Piper had previously lived in New York the girls figured that it would be the perfect place to go, but now that they had some time off from work they would try to take a vacation home for a little while.

"Here's our gate," Piper said as she walked over to a bench and took a seat. It was very early in the morning so there wasn't many people there, which the girls were thankful for.  
>"Ugh, I'm so tired," Emma complained as she laid down across the bench, resting her head in her best friend's lap.<p>

"Soon we'll be on the plane and we can have nap time," Piper said happily as she playfully patted her best friend's head. As the girls sat there for a minute, Piper couldn't help but notice two boys who looked oddly familiar.

"Hey Em," Piper said quietly, "look at those guys over there…do they look familiar to you?" Piper was referring to two guys who were dressed very stylish in their own personal ways and each was wearing a pair of sunglasses inside the airport.

Emma sat up so she could get a better look at the guys Piper was referring to. Both of the girls couldn't help but stare as they realized that they have seen these boys before, but just couldn't seem to place from where.

"Oh my gosh, Piper," Emma said as she finally realized who they had been staring at, "that's Nick and Kevin Jonas, from the Jonas Brothers," Emma finished with a whisper.

"No way," Piper said in shock as she too realized who the boys were.

"Let's just act normal…or at least what society would consider normal," Emma joked.

"You're right, but it's just so hard when they're so close to us," Piper admitted. She was right; the boys were standing just a few feet away from them. It seemed as if the boys were going to be on the same flight as them.

The girls kept their cool and distance from the land of crazy fans but unfortunately Emma's phone rang only to set off the Brother's newest single. Emma frantically grabbed for her phone to silence it, but the girls could not hide their embarrassment. They both hesitantly looked over at the guys to see if they had noticed.

"Nice ring tone," the guy that they both knew to be Kevin said, as he walked over.

Emma couldn't help but to shy away, red in the face, and reply "Thanks."

The two boys came closer and each introduced themselves to Emma and Piper. They all shook hands as the girls then took the chance to introduce themselves.

"I'm Piper, its nice to meet you and this is Emma," Piper said, trying not to freak out.

"Where are you two headed?" Nick asked.

"We're going to Birmingham to visit family," Emma responded, still slightly hesitant and shy.

Kevin smiled and said triumphantly, "That's our connection! We could sit together, if you guys don't mind having us."

"We'd love that," Emma responded with a soft smile.

"Where are you guys headed?" Piper asked curiously.

"Off to California," Nick answered, "got a new music video to shoot."

Piper and Emma smiled at each other, both with shock in their eyes due to the day's events.


	2. Chapter 2

Next thing they knew the flight was boarding and they were flying along side the Jonas Brothers.

Piper sat next to Nick, while Emma and Kevin sat across from them.

"You gonna go to the beach out in Cali?" Piper asked.

Nick grinned, "Probably not. We never have time."

Piper sighed and pulled out her new Derek Jeter book to read. Nick's face lit up as he asked, "Are you a Yankee's fan?"

"Born and raised," she said. "I forgot that you like the Yankees. I'm from New York, so I bleed blue," Piper answered with a smile.

"You mean navy pinstripe," Nick replied with a smirk.

Piper couldn't help but blush as she said, "I didn't know we were being so specific. Have you been to the new stadium?"

His face lit up like a kid at Christmas, "Yeah, it's pretty great. You know its really cool that you can sit here and have a conversation with me."

"What are you taking about? You're just a regular guy," Piper said with a cute grin.

He laughed quietly. "So, what are you doing back in New York if your family is in Birmingham?" Nick asked.

"Emma and I decided we needed a change, so we moved up to the big city together. Birmingham isn't a very hoppin' town and we love the night life," she answered honestly.

"That's cool. We're going back to the city after we finish in L.A. We should hit a Yankees game together sometime," he said casually.

Piper sat in silent shock, because to her ears it sounded like Nick Jonas just asked her out on a date. In reality, it will probably never happen, but what the heck?

"Here's my number. You can call me when you're in town and we could definitely do that," Piper said as if it was no big deal. He grinned as he put her number in his phone.

"Do you need to be closer to Kevin to work on anything?" Piper asked after a few moments of silence. She was worried that she was keeping him from doing something important.

"Nope. I am working on some song lyrics, but I can handle it on my own," Nick said, as he pulled out a notebook.

Piper took that as a hint to give him some quiet while he worked, so she put on her iPod and listened to music until the plane landed.

Meanwhile, Emma was trying to have a conversation of her own with Kevin, and still trying to stay awake.

"What do you do for fun?" Kevin asked. Emma tried to speak, but all that came out was a yawn.

"Excuse me," she said after her yawn, "I'm not use to being up this early," she admitted with a laugh.

Kevin smiled, "I wish this was considered early for me. Try getting up at 5AM every day." Emma groaned before responding.

"I think I would die," she said dramatically, causing Kevin to laugh once more.

"Well," Emma said as she decided to get serious for a moment, "would you like to take a nap? Trust me, I of all people, would understand if you wanted to," she told him honestly as she pulled out a Sky Mall magazine.

"I wouldn't get my feelings hurt; I promise," Emma finished as she tried to make the girl scout hand motion, but couldn't figure out how many fingers to put up.

"Haha, sorry," Emma laughed, "I never was a girl scout," she admitted, causing Kevin to laugh.

"It's fine, I would rather stay up and talk to you," he said with a charming smile, causing Emma to blush slightly.

The two chatted for a bit where Emma found out the boys were going to L.A. to meet up with their brother, Joe, and shoot a music video, coincidentally for the song that was her ring tone, and 3 days later they would be back in New York.

The two were now flipping through the Sky Mall magazine together, making fun of all the unnecessary things inside of it.

"A bowling pin set, really?" Emma laughed, "Who would want that?"

"Hey, I like bowling," Kevin said with a smile, "and I'm pretty good," he admitted confidently.

Emma smiled, "I like it too, and I must say...I'm pretty amazing at it," she smirked.

"Oh really? What's your high score?" Kevin asked curiously.

"Well, one time I got to 100," Emma smiled, causing Kevin to laugh. Emma couldn't help but notice how cute Kevin's laugh was, before speaking again. "Piper is really good, and we go all the time, but I just can't seem to break my awesome score of 100," she admitted playfully.

The conversation continued comfortably between the two, discussing their bowling experiences, until the plane landed.


	3. Chapter 3

Once the plane landed, everyone was busy getting their things together when Nick asked, "Wanna grab a pizza or something before our flight?"

Piper smiled, glad to see he still wanted to spend time with her, "Sure, let me ask Emma." She looked to Emma and just as she was about to ask, Emma said, "Kevin just asked if we could grab dinner. You in?"

"Oh my gosh, Nick just asked the same thing. Yes!" Piper replied, then turned to Nick to accept. "We would love to go," Piper said casually, trying to hide her excitement.

The group decided on Pizza Hut Express, and each got their own personal pan pizza. When they went to sit down though, some young girl recognized the boys. They were very sweet and signed an autograph and took a few pictures, but soon it got a little out of hand with the amount of fans that showed up. Before any of them realized, the boys had missed their flight and the fans were still going crazy.

Emma ran out of the area for a minute and brought back a security officer to help get the boys out and to safety.  
>"Good thinking, girlfriend," Piper said, once Emma had returned. "Nick, come on! We're gonna get y'all out of here."<p>

Emma grabbed Kevin's arm and they followed the security officer all the way to where the girls had parked. Once everyone got in the car, Emma automatically started it and headed towards their side of town.

"What are we gonna do?" Kevin asked in a panic.  
>"I don't know. The video shoot is scheduled for today. We had time to do it today and only today. I'm gonna call Dad, let him know happened and see what he says. Piper, do you know any good hotels here?" Nick asks.<p>

Piper enjoyed hearing him call her name and she answered, "Yeah."  
>Then Emma gave Piper a look and mouthed, "The fans will get them for sure." Piper nodded in agreence and said, "If you want, you two can stay at our house for the time being and not have to worry about drawing attention to yourselves. You'll pretty much have the place to yourselves since we'll be visiting family."<p>

Kevin looked happy at the idea and said, "I think that would be great and a lot easier."  
>Emma smiled, happy that she could possible spend more time with Kevin. Nick, in the meantime was on the phone with his Dad, discussing their options.<p>

"Sounds good," Nick stated, "since we're going to be here for 3 days," he finished as he hung up the phone with his dad.  
>"Dad said there's no use in trying to come out there since we'd just have to fly back to New York in three days. We'll just reschedule the video shoot and try again soon," Nick said, sounding more relieved than upset.<p>

"Wait…we don't have any clothes," Kevin said, as he looked down at his shirt that had gotten torn in the escape from the fans.

"We can stop at Kohls. Is that ok?" Piper suggested, since it was on the way home.  
>"Yeah, that'll be fine. Thank you," Nick said with appreciation.<p>

"Yes, thanks a lot for all your help. I just wish we had our instruments. Then we could get some work done for our new album," Kevin said wishfully.

"Actually, we have a little something you can use at the house," Emma said with a sly tone to her voice, "Piper and I like to play around with it."

As the girls pulled up to Kohls, the guys looked around nervously. Emma couldn't help but notice the look upon their faces.

"Are y'all ok?" she asked the nervous looking boys.

"Uh, just a little freaked out after what all went down back there," Kevin said honestly.

"Well would you guys like us to run in for you and grab some stuff?" Piper offered kindly.

"No, we couldn't ask you to do that for us," Nick responded as he began to unbuckle his seatbelt.

"Oh, but we don't mind," Piper responded as her and Emma were practically out the door, so the boys couldn't object.

* * *

><p>The girls entered the store and quickly headed towards the men's department, which was located dangerously close to the shoe section. Emma headed towards the t-shirt section, while Piper made her way to the shoes.<p>

"What do you think about this?" Emma asked Piper, as she held up just a plain black tee. When she didn't hear a response she looked around to find Piper no where in sight.

Emma sighed as she made her way to the shoe department where she knew her best friend would be.

"Oh man, what do you think about these?" Piper squealed excitedly as she held up a pair of cute paisley blue wedges.

"Focus!...oh, those are cute!" Emma admitted, also becoming distracted.

"Can't we just try them on?" Piper begged. Emma sighed once more.

"I guess, but only after we get them their clothes," Emma bribed. Piper sighed in response and followed Emma to the clothing.

The girls picked out some jeans for the boys and three solid colored t-shirts. "What about pjs and underwear?" Piper asked.

A terrified look came across Emma's face before she spoke, "I'm not sure. I guess boxer briefs and some pajama bottoms with white under shirts."

"Sounds safe. Let's get this stuff and try on my shoes," Piper said excitedly.

They get the boys linen pajama bottoms with a pack each of white under shirts and two packs of mixed color boxer briefs. Then they depart for the shoe section. The girls both put on a pair of "Piper's" wedges and get distracted.

"These look so cute, and we could be twinsies," Piper said with a giggle.

Emma looked down at her feet, admiringly towards the shoes and decided, "We should buy these. Let's get out of here because they're probably wondering where we are."

The girls check out and head back to the car. "You guys are back! We were starting to worry," Kevin said, relieved that the girls were back.

"Sorry, Piper got a little distracted," Emma said with a laugh, causing Nick to chuckle in the back seat.


	4. Chapter 4

That night the girls decided to stop and get dinner for everyone. They stopped by the house to drop the boys off to let them get settled. Emma and Piper headed to Cafe Lazio to get some good Italian food for the guys. They got back with the food and called the boys to the table to sit down and have their meal.

"I'll help you in the kitchen," Kevin offered to Emma, kindly.

"And I'll help you set the table," Nick said to Piper.

Kevin and Emma headed into the kitchen as Piper and Nick got the silverware from the dinning room.

"Thank you for helping me," Piper said, truly grateful for the help.

"Of course, I wouldn't let you do this all by yourself," Nick smiled at her, "especially after doing so much for me and Kevin."

"Oh it's nothing, really. Anything we can do to help," Piper said. "I'm really sorry you missed your flight."

"It's no problem; we can always reschedule it," Nick said like it was no big deal.

"I should probably give Dad another call though, and let him know where we're staying and that we're alright," Nick said as he looked down at his phone.

"Ugh, it's dead," he groaned.

Piper then grabbed her cell phone to offer it to him, "You can use mine."

As Nick took the phone, their fingers lightly brushed each other's and their eyes meet. Piper quickly pulled her hand back and looked away, thinking for sure he didn't just feel that.

Nick took Piper's phone and gave his Dad another call, informing him on their situation.

"Dad, we're fine...we're staying with some friends of ours who happen to live here," Nick explained.

"Yes Dad, we trust them...ok, Love you too," Nick said before hanging up. He let out a sigh of frustration as he handed Piper back her phone.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Piper asked, placing a hand gently on Nick's forearm.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said as he placed his hand on top of hers, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I think I should go check on Emma and Kevin," Piper said suddenly as she went into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Kevin was helping Emma get the food ready.

"We'll go grocery shopping tomorrow so we can have some home cooked meals," Emma told Kevin.

"That'd be cool. I love to cook, so I can help you," Kevin said as he made his way over to Emma's side.

"Aw, I would love that," Emma said with a smile as she looked up into Kevin's eyes. He returned her smile as they stood there in silence for just a few moments before Emma turned to pick up the canister.

"Ow!" she screamed as she dropped the container on the counter.

"Here let me help you," Kevin said as he gently grabbed her wrist to get her finger under some cold water.  
>"No, don't worry about it. I can handle it," Emma said, trying to pull her hand away.<p>

"I've got it. You've been so generous, let me repay you," Kevin soothed as Emma finally stopped resisting and allowed him to hold her hand under the cool water.

Piper then walked in a few seconds later to ask, "Are y'all ready with the food?"  
>The sound of Piper's voice caused Emma to jump away from Kevin and nervously say, "Yep, be out in one second."<p>

As Kevin carried the food out with the pot holders firmly in place, so not to burn his fingers, Piper and Emma sat themselves in their window seat across from Nick and Kevin.

All four sat there in silence for a couple of moments before Piper broke the silence.

"So, since y'all are here for a couple of days is there anything you want to do or see?"

"...Because there's so much to see," Emma said with an eye roll.

"This is your home! There must be something awesome here," Kevin said excitedly.

The girls both look at each other and say together, "Nope, not really," then bust out into laughter.

"We could go to the movies, bowling, zoo, a science center...how about an arcade?" Piper asked excitedly.

"Oh that sounds fun," Nick said with a grin.

"But what if y'all get recognized while we're out and about?" Emma asked. She didn't want another episode to happen like what happened at the airport.

Kevin then reached across the table and grabbed a napkin. He folded it in half and held it up to his upper lip, "We shall wear disguises!" he declared mischievously as if the napkin were a moustache, causing the girls to crack up. Nick didn't laugh at first since he was so use to his brother's antics, but as soon as he heard the sound of Piper's unique laugh he broke out into a smile.

"We could go tomorrow night if you two don't have any plans," Nick offered.

Once the girls calmed down, they agreed to go out the next night, but then silence ensued as they continued to eat their dinner.

After a few minutes of eating, Piper randomly started to cough. Nick immediately became concerned as he got up from his chair and came around to Piper's seat in no time. "Are you alright?" he asked, the worry was evident in his voice. He placed his hand on her back, attempting to help her somehow.

Beside him, Emma was cracking up, "She's fine. She just does this sometimes."

Piper eventually calmed down and looked at Nick, "It's true, I'm good. Thank you for your concern," she said with a smile at Nick, but then threw a glare in Emma's direction. Nick still looked unsure, but decided to take his seat and finish his meal.

Soon after everyone was done eating; Piper and Emma showed the boys to their rooms then retreated to the kitchen to clean up. The boys came back down to help, but the work was done in no time.

"Did you guys wanna go to bed or you're welcome to the TV if you want to watch something," Emma offered kindly.

"I think we're gonna go to bed," Kevin told Emma, "thank you for today."

"You're welcome," the girls replied in unison.

"Good night," Nick told the girls with a smile in Piper's direction, "See you in the morning."

"Sleep well, guys," Emma said as she sat down on the couch, so tired after the long day that every just had.


	5. Chapter 5

After the boys went upstairs, Emma and Piper stayed in the living area to talk. "Is this real?" Emma said as she grabbed Piper's arm with a smile of pure joy.

"I know, this is so crazy," Piper squealed, quietly. "I kinda like Nick and I swear it feels like there's something there, ya know?"

Emma's jaw dropped, "I know how you feel. I think there's some chemistry between me and Kevin too."

The girls took turns telling each other about their different moments with the boys. "We can't get too crazy cause they might just be being nice," Emma said, giving them their unwanted reality check.

"I agree, but I just feel like there's something there. I promise though, I'll keep my cool," Piper said with a soft smile.

Emma smiled in return, "Me too," she offered her pinkie up for a pinkie promise. Piper accepted the promise as she presented her own pinkie.

"Let's go to bed now," Emma said excitedly, since it was her favorite time of the day. The two girls laughed as they made their way to their own rooms.

"Good morning sunshine," Piper said as Emma made her way into the kitchen where Piper was already sitting, having her morning coffee.

"Uhh," Emma groaned sleepily causing Piper to laugh.

"'Ugh?' Why are you awake if you're 'ugh?'" Piper asked with a laugh.

"Can't sleep; body hurts," Emma said as she cracked her back and then her neck.

"Eww!" Piper cringed as she heard the sound that Emma's body made. "Here, take this," she said as she handed Emma a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," Emma said as she gladly accepted the coffee.

"Ok...now some Guitar Hero!" Piper said excitedly. Emma couldn't hide her look of shock.

"For real?" she asked, still a little grumpy that she was awake so early.

"For reals," Piper agreed as she headed into the living room, leaving Emma to follow.

The girls were downstairs in an intense battle of Guitar Hero for about 45 minutes before the first boy groggily walked down the stairs.

"Good morning Sunshine!" Piper yelled, never taking her eyes off the screen.

"Guitar Hero? At this hour? What kind of girls are you?" Nick said as he sat himself down on the couch.

"We're the fun girls," Emma said with a giggle, now awake and still not taking any sets of eyes off the TV.

"Why can't these 'fun girls' keep it down in the morning?" a grumpy Kevin asked as he came down the stairs to join in the festivities.

"Oh, just go get some coffee you two," Emma said right before finishing the song.

As the boys got up to leave, Emma let out a victory squeal, scaring the boys in the process.

"I don't know how many more mornings like this I can take," the girls heard Nick say as the boys walked into the kitchen. They didn't try to hide their laughter. They knew they were different, but they were proud of it.

The boys then came back into the living room to find Emma with a guitar in hand, "Kevin, do you think you can take me?" Emma challenged with a smirk on her face.

"I don't wanna put you to shame," Kevin said with a grin in return.

Emma giggled, "That sounds like a challenge to me. C'mon, I promise not to cry if I lose."

Kevin agreed then took the guitar only to find that he was not the lead guitarist of Emma's band. "You're pretty good at this," Kevin said, astonished by his loss.

Emma grinned from ear to ear, "I have a lot of time on my hands," she said like it was nothing.

Nick then took his opportunity and looked at Piper to ask, "Are we gonna go now?"

"Um, I lose to Emma, so I'm not sure if I'm a worthy opponent," Piper said, timidly, for the first time.

Nick grinned, "I'll go easy on you."

"I accept your challenge, but I also take a rain check. We gotta go see the families today," Piper said, hoping her lame excuse fooled Nick.

"Alright, that's a reasonable excuse," Nick smirked causing Piper to blush slightly.


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay guys," Emma started, "we kinda gotta leave y'all for a little bit today, but if you need anything the kitchen is in there, obviously," she said as she pointed to the kitchen, "upstairs are the bedrooms; there's a bathroom through that door," Emma pointed to a door, "two more upstairs, and one more downstairs," she finished.

"But you two said you wanted to record, didn't you?" Piper asked, focusing mainly on Nick.

"Yeah," Nick answered with a confused look on his face.

"Well, we have a surprise for you," Emma said with a grin as her and Piper led the boys downstairs.

As everyone headed downstairs, the boys were slightly disappointed to see just another living room area.

"Is it more Guitar Hero?" Kevin asked disappointedly, "Like pouring salt into an open wound, Emma. Not cool," Kevin pouted.

"Aww, I'm sorry," Emma frowned, "but cheer up buttercup; it's not more Guitar Hero," she smiled playfully.

"Look through that door," Piper smiled mischievously as she pointed to another door across the room.

The boys hesitantly walked over before slowly opening the door.

"Oh my gosh," was all the girls heard as the boys discovered an in-home recording studio.

Emma and Piper walked over, both proudly smiling.

"Will this work for y'all?" Piper smirked at the two stunned boys.

"...Why do you have this?" Kevin asked in both confusion and excitement.

"Oh, we just like to play around with it. Nothing too much; just pretending to live the dream," Emma smiled as she walked inside over to the instruments.

"I'm assuming y'all know how to work everything?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, if not it won't be too hard to figure it out," Nick told her.

"Okay, well we have to go get ready, so y'all have a good time," Emma said as the girls walked back upstairs to get ready for the day.

The two girls went their separate ways for their family time. They were both so grateful to see their loved ones once again, but soon the day was over and it was time to go back home. It had been so hard for both the girls to keep their secrete that they had 2/3rds of the Jonas Brothers staying at their house.

Meanwhile, earlier that day, the boys were working hard in the girl's recording studio. "What song do you wanna work on, dude?" Nick asked Kevin as Kevin picked up one of the guitars sitting on a stand nearby.

"How about that one you were working on yesterday?" Kevin suggested.

"Sounds good, let me see if they have any blank CD's so we can keep it after it's uploaded onto the computer," Nick said as he began to rummage through a pile of CD's on the counter.

All of the CD's except one was labeled; it was just a plain black CD.

"This looks good," Nick said as he threw it to Kevin to pop into the computer.

The boys waited for it to load, only to find that it, too, had songs already burned onto it.

The room was filled with the sound of something familiar. It was the introduction to the song "Give Love a Try," coincidentally preformed by the boys themselves.

They were shocked to hear one of their own songs being played by the girls, and even more shocked at how amazing the cover sounded.

"Wow this is pretty good; who do you think is doing what?" Kevin asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess I would say that's Piper with the vocals," Nick said thoughtfully.

"Well I wonder if that's Emma playing the guitar then?" Kevin asked.

Soon the girls returned home to find the boys sitting on the couch, watching TV, waiting on them.

"Hey guys, how did the recording go?" Emma asked as her and Piper came in the living room to join the boys.

"Well, we found something pretty interesting," Kevin said suspiciously.

"Oh really? What could that be?" Piper asked nervously.

"We already have it set up downstairs, I think you two should join us," Nick said as he and his brother stood.

The girls gave each other a nervous look and tentatively followed the boys downstairs.

Nick loaded the song up and it began to play.

"Who is this?" Piper said jokingly.

"We were wondering the same thing," Nick said with a raise of this eyebrow.

"Well...we have an idea," Kevin said seriously.

"Oh really? What's your idea?" Emma challenged.

"If you listen to the track at one second in, you can tell that Emma," Kevin said as he pointed at her, "is clearly playing the guitar, and at 30 seconds in, Piper," he turned to point at her, "is obviously singing," he finished dramatically.

"Now, is there anything you two would like to confess to us?" Nick asked in a teasing voice.

"Well, it depends...did you enjoy it or...?" Piper trailed off.

"Not so fast!" Kevin exclaimed, "We're not saying a word until you reveal if we are correct in our assumption," he finished stubbornly.

Emma sighed and confessed, "You are correct, now can we just leave it alone?" she asked embarrassed.

"Agreed. Can we drop it and just go play some mini-golf?" Piper agreed, not wanting the conversation to get awkward.

"Yes! Mini-golf!" Kevin exclaimed as he started for the stairs.

"Dude! Conversation's not over," Nick said, trying to stop his brother from leaving.

"Yup, it is," Piper said as she grabbed Emma's arm and they started to follow the excited Kevin.

"Freeze!" Nick exclaimed seriously, stopping only Piper in her tracks, as Emma and Kevin made their getaway up the stairs.

"Why are you so embarrassed?" Nick asked, "You're really good."

"Because you're Nick Jonas, and I'm intimidated by you," Piper said as she slowly looked down at the floor.

Nick smiled, "There's no reason to be intimidated. I'm just a guy who thinks you are a pretty talented girl. Why didn't you tell us?"

"It's just something we do for fun. We wouldn't want you guys to feel like we were telling you to use you…so we kept it to ourselves. That's what we do in New York; we play gigs around town," Piper answered.

"We could…" Nick began to offer help.

"No," Piper interrupted before Nick could finish, "I want you to be here, to have a good time, and that's all. Can we please leave this alone? I'm glad you like it and honored that you think I'm a good singer."

"I guess," Nick said as he shrugged it off. He seemed a bit hurt, but he does drop it as they went upstairs to get Nick disguised.

While Piper's helping him, she noticed that Nick looked kinda down. "Are you ok?" Piper asked, as she placed her hand on his shoulder. He softly placed his hand over hers before answering. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just wish that you would use that talent because you are better than a lot of people out there," Nick said, honestly.

"Someday I will but not through you. I don't want our relationship to revolve around music, but instead, around two regular people. Now, are you ready to go play mini golf?" Piper asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Nick nodded with a smile, finally realizing the reason for her stubbornness.

Meanwhile, upstairs Emma and Kevin went looking around in the attic through boxes of old Halloween costumes the girls had collected throughout the years.

Kevin found a box of costume moustaches and held it up for Emma to see.

"Can I wear a moustache?" Kevin asked her excitedly, causing Emma to laugh.

"If that's what you want," she said as she walked over to him.

"Will you help me put it on?" he asked as he picked out the one he wanted.

"Of course; I can't be walking around with someone who has a crooked fake moustache...that would look ridiculous," Emma said sarcastically with an eye roll and a subtle grin.

Emma held up the one Kevin picked out to get a better look at it; it was a long handle-bar looking moustache.

"No," was all she said, laughing, while grabbing another from the box.

"Aw come on!" Kevin said as he held it up to his face, "it looks good on me!"

"No," Emma repeated herself with another giggle as she took away Kevin's moustache.

"How about this one?" she asked as she held up a simple looking one. Kevin sighed in response before answering, "I guess," he said, sounding defeated.

Emma held up the moustache to Kevin's lip, "Don't worry, this one looks good on you too," she said as she looked away with blushed cheeks.

"Alright, then that one will do," Kevin smiled softly.

Emma slowly looked back up at Kevin and removed the tape from the back of the moustache.

Gently, she placed the costume accessory against Kevin's upper lip; severely concentrating on keeping it straight. Little did she know that Kevin was watching her every move.

"Alright you're done," Emma said with a smile as she pulled away from Kevin's face.


	7. Chapter 7

Once everyone was ready, the four embarked on their journey to the arcade, Treetop. They all piled into Emma's truck; her and Kevin in the front while Piper and Nick took the back. While riding, Emma put on her iPhone and "Till the World Ends" came on by Britney Spears.

"Emma, are we gonna rock this out?" Piper asked, excitedly, since she was a Britney junkie.

Emma didn't even answer; she just began to sing along. The boys enjoyed the girls show, but were hesitant to join in the fun. That's when Piper decided to put her Pepsi bottle microphone in Nick's face and waited for him to join. Before Nick could make up his mind, Kevin snatched the "mic" and started belting out the lyrics. The party continued for the whole ride until finally they arrived.

"We take this golf pretty seriously," Kevin said, "so don't take it too hard if we wipe the floor with you two," he finished with a smirk.

"That's kinda harsh, it's just mini golf," Emma said while faking a pouty face.

Nick's jaw dropped at the sound of Emma's words, "Just mini golf? This is the miniature form of golf. That's a professional sport. We need to teach you two some respect."

Piper started to get out of the car and said, "Oh my God, guys, what's your deal?"

Nick and Kevin both shook their heads as they got out and walked to their supplies.

As the girls went up to the counter to get 4 clubs and balls, the boys stayed in the background with their heads lowered and hats pulled down.

"Ok guys, we're ready," Emma said with a smile as she handed Kevin a pink golf ball.

"Pink? Why pink?" Kevin asked sadly, as Nick chuckled holding his blue ball that Piper had handed to him.

"Cause you were so mean in the car," she said, "...and it's my favorite color," she finished with a smile.

"Ok, then I guess I can deal with that," Kevin said kindly as the four made their way to the course.

When the game began, the girls were doing pretty well, but the boys couldn't seem to keep quiet about their form.

"No, no, you're doing it all wrong," Nick said as he watched Piper hit the ball.

"Why does it matter if I'm doing it wrong as long as I'm getting a good score?" Piper challenged.

"You'll get a better score if you do it my way," Nick smirked.

"Wait a second," Emma said dramatically as she seemed to realize something, "are we not aiming for the higher number? I thought I was winning!" she exclaimed sadly.

Kevin fought the laughter as he softly patted Emma's back.

"It's ok, I'll help you when it's your turn again," Kevin offered to Emma.

"Yeah, now if only Piper would swallow her pride and let Nick help her," Emma said sassily before moving onward to the next hole with Kevin.

"Ok, ok; let's see what you got, Mr. Big Shot," Piper said as she handed her club to Nick.

"No, no," Nick protested, "let me show you. Come here," he said as he pulled Piper closer to him; he stood directly behind her. She shivered as she felt his breath on her neck.

Piper's internal urge to pull away was suppressed by her subtle feelings of wanting to feel him closer to her.

Nick put his arms around her as both of them held onto the golf club.

"Stand with your feet spread shoulder length apart, bend your knees slightly, adjust your hands like this," he said as he moved her hands into the right position, "and swing," he finished as they both swung the club, hitting the ball directly into the hole.

Meanwhile at Emma and Kevin's hole, Kevin was trying to give Emma directions on how to improve her form.

"Ok, that's the perfect golfer's position," Kevin told Emma as she stood still waiting for her next direction.

"Now swing; not too hard, but still give it a good swing," Kevin coached her.

Emma swung, but as soon as she did, her long hair got in her eyes and she missed the ball.

"I'm embarrassed," she admitted shamefully as she dropped her club and held her hands over her face.

Kevin softly smiled, "Don't be embarrassed," he said as he walked over and picked up the club for her.

"You were doing fine; there's just one problem," he said as he softly stroked Emma's hair out of her face and placed it behind her ear.

"There," he said with an accomplished smile.

Emma looked up into Kevin's eyes and returned his smile. The two stood there, their eyes searching each others.

"Thank you," Emma whispered, breaking the silence, before clearing her throat and taking her club back.

"You're welcome," Kevin said with a confident smile. "Ok," he started again as he went back to his observing position, "now do exactly like you did before."

Emma obeyed and made contact with the ball. It traveled directly into the hole.

"Yay!" Emma exclaimed happily as she ran up to Kevin and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace.

"Thank you," she squealed causing Kevin to laugh.

"You're welcome," he said as he wrapped his arms around her in return.

By the end of the game it was time to tally up their scores. Nick finished in first, Kevin in second, Piper in third, and Emma finished last.

"I'm so sad I lost," Emma pouted to the group.

"It's only because you started with the wrong intentions," Kevin tried to comfort, causing Nick and Piper to chuckle softly.

"It kills me to say this, but thank you for the help," Piper said, as she looked at the ground ashamed.

Nick pulled her chin up and said, "Anytime," smugly.

"Dinner time!" Kevin exclaimed, "I saw hot dogs on the menu!"

They agreed and went in to the restaurant to have a nice casual meal. One waitress seemed to be coming back to the table again and again. The girls couldn't help but get a creepy feeling from her.

"Emma, does it seem like that waitress knows that the boys are Kevin and Nick?" Piper whispered.

Emma looked around and said, "Yeah, I agree. We should probably get out of here."

"Are y'all about done?" Emma asked the boys, "If you want we can go bowling."

Kevin's face lit up, "Absolutely!" he exclaimed.

Nick looked hesitant, "I'm not sure. Golf was quite a lot."

Piper grinned at him and punched him playfully in the arm, "You afraid I'll beat you?"

Emma couldn't stop smiling from Kevin's response but said, "She's right Nick. You're in trouble now."

"I'll accept that challenge," Nick said confidently.


	8. Chapter 8

They all jumped back in Emma's truck and headed towards the bowling alley.

"I'm sleepy," Emma said, tiredly; semi-regretting the choice to go bowling so late in the evening.

"But we're going bowling!" Kevin exclaimed excitedly.

"Sh!" Nick whispered, "Piper's asleep back here."

Emma and Kevin both turned to see Piper sleeping with her head rested against the window.

"I got this y'all," Emma said with a smirk as she turned up the volume in the truck.

"Whoa!" Piper exclaimed as she jumped awake.

"Wake your butt up, Missy," Emma said in an authoritative tone, "if I can't sleep, neither can you."

"What? I was just thinking," Piper tried to play it off.

"Oh whatever, I know you," Emma said sternly.

"You know, maybe we should put this off for another time," Nick started, "because I'd hate to beat you knowing that you were handicapped by sleepiness," he finished with a smirk.

"Hey now!" Emma defended her friend, "getting a little too confident back there. Piper's freaking amazing at bowling. She helped me get to my high score of 100!"

Kevin laughed, "I love that you are so proud of your 100." Emma responded with a suspicious look since she couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"I'm so awesome, it doesn't matter if I'm tired or not," Piper said confidently.

Piper and Nick's competitive conversation continued until they finally pulled up to the bowling alley.

"Let's do this," Kevin said excitedly as he tied his shoes.

The game began and everyone was off to a good start, except Emma.

"How come we're playing all the games I suck at?" Emma whined.

"Hey! You whipped my butt at Guitar Hero earlier," Kevin reminded, trying to make her feel a little better.

"Well Kevin, if she would just stop swinging her arm like she was playing volleyball then she would be a great bowler," Piper advised, trying to help her friend out.

"Really Piper?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Uh...yeah," Piper responded as she grabbed her ball and walked up to the line. Piper bowled a strike, causing Nick and Emma to groan.

After awhile, Piper then decided to offer Nick some help.

"Now look who needs a few pointers," Piper teased in a friendly manner.

"Ok, what am I doing wrong, Oh great one?" Nick smirked.

Emma couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"That's sassy!" she called out with a laugh.

Piper dismissed her friend's outburst and went on to help Nick.

Piper walked up behind Nick and instructed him, "Ok, you need to move 5 boards to your right."

Once Nick had done this Piper continued, "Now, I want you to aim for the second arrow," she finished, as she showed him what she meant.

"That's going the wrong way; the pins are in the middle," Nick said, as if not believing her advice.

Piper grinned, "Trust me, now when you let go, I want you to shake hands with the ball."

Nick then followed Piper's every advice and watched as the ball hooked and got him a strike.

"Lucky shot," Nick said with a smirk before walking back to the table.

"Ok guys, if we were going by golf scores...I totally owned you," Emma said proudly at the end of the game.

"Too bad we aren't," Piper retorted, proudly, while making eye contact with Nick.

"I'll let you go by golf scores," Kevin whispered to Emma as they made their way back to Emma's truck. She laughed quietly in response, "That's sweet of you," she said as she gently laid her hand on Kevin's arm.

"I'm so glad to be home," Emma said tiredly as everyone entered the door. "I think I'm gonna head upstairs and go to bed."

"Me too; it's been a long day; but before you go to bed Emma, could you help me get this thing off?" Kevin asked referring to his moustache.

She laughed, "Of course; c'mon."

"Good night, Piper; good night, Nick. Sleep tight!" Emma called to her friends before heading upstairs with Kevi.

Kevin and Emma headed upstairs, while Nick went into the kitchen to get some easy cheese and crackers, and Piper quickly changed from her contacts to glasses. On Nick's way back to his room, he stopped in the living room to say good night to Piper.

He found her frantically looking through her DVDs.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a smile.

She looked up in a panic, "I can't find my copy of 'Die Another Day," she said, distressed.

Nick couldn't hide his excitement at the mention of the movie, "James Bond, Die Another Day?" he asked as he walked over to the TV stand to help her look.

"Yes, and I never get to watch it unless Emma's asleep because she hates these movies," Piper said with an eye roll.

"Who could hate James Bond?" Nick asked in shock.

Piper shrugged, "I know right?" she asked before letting out a victorious squeal. "I'm ready now!"

Nick looked at her hesitantly, "Would it be ok if I watched with you?"

Piper smiled softly, "I would love to have you, but only if you plan on sharing that easy cheese."

He sighed, "I guess," he said jokingly.

Piper tried to hide her excitement as Nick made himself comfortable next to her, resting his arm on the back of the couch. He grabbed the easy cheese and intended to spray it in her mouth, but she wasn't expecting it, causing it to get all over her face.

Piper jumped, "What in the world was that?" she asked, half upset and half cracking up.

Nick couldn't even answer due to his laughter at her cheese covered face. "Let me help you with that," he said as he messily wiped it off, only spreading it around more.

"Hey! Not cool," Piper said sternly, only causing Nick to laugh harder, before he began to seriously help her clean up.

He grabbed a paper towel from the table next to them and gently wiped Piper's face clean.

"Thanks," she started seriously, "but now I just smell like cheese!" she finished in a joking tone.

"Let me smell," Nick said as he leaned in and pretended to smell her.

"Did you just smell me?" Piper asked jokingly, insulted by his action.

"Oh you're right; you smell awful," Nick teased, as he grabbed his nose.

"Not cool," Piper said as she placed her hand on his chest and tried to push him away.

"I'm just kidding," Nick smiled as he moved closer to Piper.

"Uh-huh," she said sarcastically as she stopped fighting Nick's approach.

The two suddenly became silent as they stared at one another; it was then that Nick couldn't help but notice a spot of cheese that he missed on Piper's face.

"I missed a spot," he said as he moved in closer to Piper's face and gently caressed her cheek, while wiping the spot away.

Piper blushed at the touch of Nick's hand, causing him to softly smile before gently placing a kiss on her forehead.

The two then silently readjusted on the couch and decided to play the movie.

"I love this movie. I haven't seen it in so long," Piper said excitedly, in a soft voice, as the movie began; she was trying to redirect the attention to the movie.

"Me too; I've been so busy, it's nice to just sit back and relax with a friend," Nick smiled at Piper.

Later on before the movie ended, Piper couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and slowly gave in to sleep. Nick was still watching the movie when he felt Piper slowly slide against him. He smiled softly as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him slowly. He looked down to gently take off her glasses and then laid them on the table. He readjusted himself to get comfortable once more and continued watching the movie before he too fell asleep on the couch.


	9. Chapter 9

Meanwhile, Kevin and Emma were upstairs debating on the best way to remove Kevin's fake mustache.

"So what do you think would be the best way to do this?" Kevin asked, as he and Emma reached the top of the stairs.

"I think we should just rip it off," Emma said seriously, causing Kevin to back away from her in terror.

She couldn't contain her laughter as she spoke, "I'm just kidding," she forced out through her giggles.

"Hmm," Emma started as she calmed down from her laughter, "I'm not sure, let's go into the bathroom and try using some water," she finished as she led Kevin into the bathroom.

"Take a seat," she pointed to the edge of the tub. Kevin obliged.

"Maybe a fake mustache wasn't the best idea," Kevin said with a tone of regret in his voice.

"Why do you say that?" Emma asked as she began to soak a washrag with some warm water.

"Because this is probably going to hurt," Kevin said sadly.

"Aw, I promise I'll be as gentle as possible," Emma said softly as she turned to face Kevin with the washrag.

"Now, hold still," she said as she held the wet washrag to Kevin's upper lip, hoping the water would dissolve the adhesive. She held the rag still for a couple minutes before taking it away.

"Are you ready for this?" Emma asked with a sympathy laugh.

"No, but let's just get this over with," Kevin said pitifully.

"Ok, take a deep breath," Emma said as she moved her hand to the edge of the moustache.  
>"One, two, three!" she counted before quickly ripping off the mustache. Kevin let out his breath and groaned in pain.<p>

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Emma said worriedly as she placed the washrag back over Kevin's lips.  
>"Come with me and let's see if I have some lotion or something in my room," she said as she took Kevin's hand and led him to her room.<p>

Emma quickly looked around her room to find some facial lotion to put on Kevin's burning skin.

"Ok," she said as she walked back over to Kevin, who was sitting at the foot of her bed, "this 'ought to make it feel all better," Emma said as she slowly pulled Kevin's rag away from his face.

She put a little lotion on her hand and softly began to touch it to Kevin's upper lip. A sigh of relief escaped Kevin's lips as soon as he felt the cooling sensation of the lotion. Emma couldn't help but smile.

"Good, I'm glad that it's working," she said as she looked up into Kevin's eyes then quickly back down to his lips.

"It feels amazing, thank you," Kevin said, still while Emma was softly rubbing in the lotion.  
>"You're welcome," she responded as she slowly took her hand away from Kevin's face. It was then that Emma realized just how close their faces actually were.<p>

She looked up again into Kevin's soft hazel eyes and she could swear that his face was inching towards her.

He was going to kiss her; Kevin Jonas was going to kiss this 'plain Jane' girl. It seemed as soon as Kevin's lips were about to meet hers she lost grip of the bottle of lotion she had been holding, and it hit the floor causing it to burst open.

"Oh!" Emma exclaimed as she quickly pulled away, "I'm sorry," she said as she quickly tried to clean up the mess she had made.

"Here, let me help you," Kevin said as he also began to help clean up.

It wasn't long until everything was cleaned up and the two were ready to head to bed.  
>"I'll see you in the morning," Kevin said as the two made their way to the exit of Emma's bedroom.<p>

"Ok," Emma smiled, "sleep well, and if you need anything don't be afraid to come knock on my door," she finished sweetly.

"Thanks," was all Kevin said before leaning down and giving Emma a soft kiss on the cheek; leaving her speechless as he made his was to bed.

Soon it was the morning as Kevin made his way downstairs to the kitchen. On the way he couldn't help but notice the TV was still on. He made his way over to the TV to see that Piper and Nick had fallen asleep on the couch together.

"Aw," he thought to himself as he grabbed Piper's phone that was resting on the table and took a picture.

Right after taking the picture, the two asleep on the couch were awakened by the sound of the doorbell being rung repeatedly.

"What's going on?" Piper asked as she tried to sit up, but couldn't due to Nick's arm wrapped around her waist.

Nick groaned underneath her as he too began to sit up.

"I dunno, but I'll check," Kevin said as he walked towards the door. He then looked out the peephole to see tons of people holding cameras and taping equipment standing on the front lawn.

"Nick," Kevin exclaimed in a panic, "there's a bunch of paparazzi outside the house."

"What?" Nick said as he quickly raced over to the door to look outside the peephole for himself.

"What's going on?" Emma asked sleepily as she made her way down the stairs.

"Did you two tell people we were here?" Nick accused harshly. The accusation stopped Emma right in her tracks.

"No; why would we do that?" Piper asked in an offended voice, the look of hurt painted clearly across her face.

"No one else knew we were here," Nick said suspiciously, as he turned to face the two girls.

"I swear we haven't said a word," Emma said in a disheartened voice as she slowly made her way over to the couch to sit next to her best friend.

"Was this a publicity stunt for you?" Nick said as he walked over to the girls. "You and your little music studio...I can't believe I didn't see it sooner," Nick said with a twinge of pain in his voice.

"We would never do that!" Piper exclaimed as tears filled her eyes.

"We wouldn't jeopardize your friendship," Emma said softly as she forced the words out of her mouth.

"Friends don't sell out their friends," Kevin retorted sternly. Emma felt the sting of his words burn like fire.

"Believe what you want," Piper said coldly as a tear escaped and she excused herself up to her room, leaving Emma sitting there alone, fiddling nervously with her hands.

"I guess we should go find a hotel then," Nick said sadly to his brother.

"Yeah; it's just gonna be so much fun fighting that crowd outside," Kevin said, ignoring the fact that Emma was still sitting in the room with them.

Emma then stood up and stomped her way over to her keys and shoved them into Kevin's hands, "Truck's in the garage, just go," Emma said bitterly as she then followed her best friend up the stairs.

The boys both stared at the keys that Kevin held in his hands, then looked up at one another and hesitantly made their way to the garage.


	10. Chapter 10

"I feel like I'm gonna puke," Piper said as soon as Emma entered the room.

"Don't; we shouldn't waste our time on people who are going to treat us that way," Emma said as she sat down next to her friend on the bed.

"You're right...I think some retail therapy is in order," Piper said trying to cheer them both up, but they knew that the hurt couldn't be erased so easily.

"Could we also do a Starbucks run?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Of course," Piper said as they both stood and got ready to go.

Meanwhile, the boys puledl up to a local hotel thinking no one would have tracked them there, but they were wrong. It seemed as if the number of reporters had multiplied by 2.

"This day couldn't get any worse," Kevin said sadly as they checked into their hotel room.

"It's ok, I just can't believe those girls would snitch on us like that," Nick said, not letting go of his feeling of betrayal.

"I know; I never thought they would use us like that," Kevin said sadly as he sat down on the bed in their room.

"They were just so sweet and hospitable," Nick thought out loud as he sat on the other bed across from his brother.

"I guess that's why we fell for it," Kevin admitted as he laid back on the bed.

"I'm just bummed because I liked Piper so much and I just couldn't believe they would do that to us," Nick said as he ran his fingers through his curly hair.

"There was something between me and Emma, I could feel it. Do you think we were too harsh on them?" Kevin asked his brother as he stared up at the ceiling.

"No we're not the ones who should be feeling badly; they should," Nick said stubbornly.

"But did you see the look on their faces? They looked pretty hurt," Kevin tried to reason as he sat up.

"They looked upset because they got caught," Nick said shortly as he faced Kevin.

"Dude, you can't tell me you didn't see Piper cry," Kevin said, recalling the day's earlier events.

"Let's just get some sleep," Nick said, trying to drop the subject as he laid back in his bed.

Kevin sighed, "Good night, bro," he said as he, too, laid back and shut eyes.

The next morning the boys ordered room service for breakfast. It arrived quickly, but the boys were surprised when they opened the door. The person who delivered the food had a camera.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked as the man entered their room.

"I paid the the delivery guy a decent amount of money to get here to quote you guys on why your here," the reporter smiled.

The boys groaned, but decided to let the man stay because they were so hungry.

"First of all, it's an honor to meet you both, but I was wondering where Joe was?" he asked curiously.

"Ah, he's stuck back in California," Nick said, wishing he was there with his brother.

"What brings you to Birmingham? Did you just decide to come down here for some mini-golf," he joked, "because according to my source, an employee at Treetop, you were recognized there with two unknown girls," he smiled suspiciously.

Both the boy's jaws dropped open as they looked at one another; they had been wrong. Emma and Piper didn't sell them out, but an employee at the arcade had.

"Um, we need to end the interview, sorry," Nick said instantly as he realized that they had been wrong about the girls. The boys showed the reporter to the door and quickly shut it.

"Dude, we were wrong," Nick said in a panic as soon as the door closed.

"Duh," Kevin said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I knew it all along."

"No you didn't," Nick said sternly, "I feel awful," he confessed as he ran a hand through his curly hair.

"What can we do to make it up to them?" Kevin pondered out loud.

"I don't know, but we have to fix this," Nick said in a shameful voice. The boys thought a few more minutes until Kevin broke the silence, "I have an idea! We have to get back to their place and hope that they'll be forgiving enough to listen to what we have to say."


	11. Chapter 11

Nick and Kevin drove Emma's truck back to the girls' house and used her keys to get back inside. The boys expected to find the girls in the living room, but they entered the house to find no one in sight.

As they wondered around the house they heard soft music coming from downstairs, so they quietly headed down.

They discovered Piper down in the basement, alone, practicing a ballad while playing the piano.

Kevin made a hand motion to his brother indicating that he was heading back upstairs.  
>Nick stayed in his hiding spot until the song was over.<p>

Once Piper's song was completed she harshly banged her elbows down on the keys causing a grating sound.

"I liked that song," Nick said softly as he made his way into the room. The sound of Nick's voice startled Piper, causing her to gasp.

"What do you want?" Piper asked harshly as she stood up from her piano bench.

"We need to talk," Nick said calmly as he slowly walked over to her.

"About what? Because I don't think there is anything left to say," she said coldly.

"I understand that you're hurt, but I came to apologize because now I know the truth about who really told the reporters where we were. I am sorry that I jumped to conclusions, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me because I don't want to lose you as a friend," Nick finished sincerely.

"It's great that you're apologizing, but you shouldn't have had to apologize in the first place," Piper said painfully.

"Now if you don't mind, could I please have some alone time?" she asked politely with a hint of bitterness underneath.

"Piper, I know that you can't forgive me so quickly, but I'm going to go upstairs because you asked me to, but I'm not going anywhere," Nick finished quietly before he retreated up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Kevin walked upstairs to find Emma's door open with her napping in her bed. He debated on if he should wake her up or not, but decided that his apology couldn't wait.

He quietly made his way into her bedroom and softly sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Emma," Kevin whispered as he gently shook her, "I need to talk to you."

Emma's eyes slowly opened as she came face to face with Kevin.

"Kevin?" she asked appalled, "What are you doing here?" she asked as she sat up in her bed.

"I had to apologize; it wasn't you guys, and I'm so sorry," he said sincerely.

"I told you," Emma said bitterly as she moved away from the side of the bed Kevin was sitting on.  
>"You should have listened to us. We would never betray y'all like that. I don't know what kind of people you hang out with, but we're not like that. We don't just back-stab people we care about to get the upper hand in life," Emma explained.<p>

Kevin sat silently; as he listened he could hear the hurt in Emma's voice only causing him to feel worse.

"I know, and Nick and I shouldn't have assumed it was you two, but we live in a world where people are always out for themselves and not for the people they supposedly care about. I really am sorry and I feel terrible because I know I hurt you, and I hope you can soon forgive me," Kevin finished with sad eyes.

Emma noticed the hurt look in Kevin's eyes and her heart gave slowly. She sighed before speaking.

"I am still hurt, but you two are free to stay here until you have to go back to New York," Emma said quietly.

"Thank you," Kevin said with a genuine smile.

"Now let me finish my nap," Emma said, trying to get Kevin to leave as she snuggled back into her covers and closed her eyes.

Kevin gave Emma one last longing look before getting up and leaving her to sleep.

Piper waited downstairs for a couple minutes before coming back upstairs. She walked over and sat down on the couch next to Nick.

"You really hurt me," she said without making eye contact with him.

"I know," Nick said, "but I'll never do it again," he finished.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Piper said as she looked up to face him.

"I'll keep this one, because I never want to see that hurt look on your face again...and to know that I'm the reason it happened is what kills me the most," Nick confessed.

Piper's heart began to melt at Nick's kind words. She reached up and gently caressed his bicep, "I can't fully forgive you yet, but this is a start," she finished with a soft smile.

As the two were having their intimate moment, Kevin walked down the stairs.

"She's never going to forgive me," he said sadly, referring to Emma.

Piper quickly pulled her arm away from Nick as she heard the sound of Kevin's voice.

"She'll come around, it'll just take some time," Piper said as Kevin sat down on the other side of her.

"We're sorry," Kevin said quietly to Piper, causing her to smile.

"I know," she said as she patted his knee, "we're just hurt right now and only time will fix it," she finished as she stood up and went to the kitchen to fix her a snack.


	12. Chapter 12

Later that evening, Emma came down the stairs to find Piper, Nick, and Kevin sitting silently watching TV. They all turned around to greet her, "Emma," Kevin exclaimed, "I was thinking about cooking dinner for us, would you like to join me?"

"Sure," she said nonchalantly as she walked directly to the kitchen, bypassing Kevin completely.

He sighed sadly as he followed her to the kitchen.

Emma sat down at the table, "What are we cooking?" she asked while playing with a ring on her finger, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Nick and Piper were thinking meatloaf," Kevin said causally.

"Alright," Emma said as she got up and began collecting all the ingredients and putting them in the mixing bowl.

Once all the ingredients were in the bowl, Emma began to kneed the meatloaf together.

"When I said we should make dinner together, I meant you should let me help some," Kevin said sarcastically as he placed his hands into the meatloaf along with hers.

Their hands met for a brief moment in the meatloaf causing Emma to pull her hands away.

"Ok if you wanna help you can finish this while I preheat the oven," Emma said smugly as she wiped off her hands and headed to the oven.

While dinner was cooking, Piper and Nick were in the living room.

"So what would you like to do?" Nick asked while they were waiting.

Piper sat silently for a moment before speaking, "I would like to play a board game," she said randomly, causing Nick to chuckle.

"What kind of game?" he asked seriously.

"Monopoly!" Piper said excitedly as she got up to go get it.

Nick smiled as she set the game up. "What made you wanna play this game?" he asked, amazed that someone else would play monopoly out of choice.

"Because it's my favorite," she smiled, "I don't really know what the point is; I just buy the things that I like, and put the little houses up," she said innocently.

"Ok," he chuckled, "um...would you like to know the meaning of the game?" he asked seriously now.

"Nope," she grinned, "let's just play."

As the game began, Emma walked into the living room to ask what they would like to drink. She saw the game that they were playing, shook her head and walked right back into the kitchen.

Emma went back into the kitchen to find Kevin putting the meatloaf into the baking pan.

"Is there anything else we need to do?" Emma asked.

"We need to put ketchup on it and then bake it for 45 minutes," Kevin said, "can we bake something for desert?"

"Piper has some slice and bake cookie dough in the fridge," Emma said as she looked in there to get it.

"That will work," Kevin said with a smile, "is it chocolate chip?" he asked excitedly.

"I dunno," Emma responded emotionlessly as she handed him the tube and began to walk away.

"Hey," Kevin said as he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her into him, "you said you wanted me to stay here, but I get the feeling that you don't," he finished.

Emma looked up at him and sighed.

"I do want you around," she admitted hesitantly, "but I am just really hurt, and I just need some time," she finished.

"I understand, I just wish you wouldn't be so cold towards me," he said longingly, causing Emma's heart to break.

"Ok," she whispered, "I'm sorry; I won't act that way anymore."

"Good," Kevin smiled as he pulled her into a gentle hug, "now let's bake some cookies!"

Back in the living room, Piper and Nick were battling in an intense game of Monopoly.

Suddenly things took a turn for the worst when Nick rolled an 8 and landed on Boardwalk.

"Yes!" Nick exclaimed excitedly, "this is the best property on the board."

Piper freaked out, "I will sell you everything I have for that," she begged.

"Nope," he smirked, "this is my favorite place."

He paid for the property and got the little card, when out of nowhere, Piper casually flipped the board over and walked into the kitchen.

"What just happened?" Nick asked out loud to no one in particular.

Luckily, Piper walked into the kitchen to find Emma and Kevin setting the table, laughing with one another. She smiled at the sight of seeing her friend happy again.

"Dinner ready guys? It smells good," she said as she walked over to the table and took a seat across from the seat she usually sits in.

Nick walked in with a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong, Nick?" Emma asked as she saw the look on his face, knowing clearly of what just happened.

Nick looked at Emma and just shook his head in confusion.

"Hey quitter," Nick said with a smile as he sat down next to Piper. Emma couldn't hide her laughter as she busted out into giggles.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked, confused.

"Did you land on Boardwalk?" Emma asked with a knowing smile.

"How did you know?" Nick asked astonished.

"Piper has a history of flipping the board when she doesn't get that spot. I've tried hiding that game, but she always finds it," Emma admitted.

"Monopoly?" Kevin asked Piper, finally understanding what was going on.

"That's my spot," was her only response, referring to Boardwalk.

"Dinner time!" Emma said, trying to change the topic as she laid the meatloaf on the table, along with a side salad.

They ate in silence for a couple of moments before Kevin spoke, "I can't take it anymore!" he exclaimed as he got up and turned on the iHome system for the kitchen.

The music was quiet in the background as everyone continued their meal.

"So, what time does your flight leave?" Emma asked the boys.

"8 AM," Nick responded, causing the girls to groan.

"Do we have to drive you or could we just let you borrow the car?" Piper joked.

"We would like it if you guys drove us," Nick smiled at her.

Emma sighed, "We could do that...I guess," she said with a tiny grin.


	13. Chapter 13

After dinner, Nick and Piper offered to clean the dishes, while Emma and Kevin went to the living room to clean up the Monopoly mess.

"Let's have some tunes while we work," Kevin said cheerfully as he turned on the radio in the living room before coming back to help clean up the rest of the mess that Piper had created.

"C'mon and dance with me," Kevin said as he stood up and offered his hand to Emma, who was still sitting on the ground.

"I dunno; I'm not a good dancer," Emma said bashfully, but took his hand anyways. Kevin helped her stand and placed his hand on her waist.

"It's not hard; I'll show you," he offered as he began to waltz her around the room.

Emma though, being her clumsy self, backed into the table causing herself to trip.

"Ohp," Kevin laughed as he tightened his grip on her, catching her, "I got you," he smiled.

"Thank you," Emma said breathlessly with a blush, "I told you I was no good," she finished as Kevin pulled her up into him.

"Well you're lucky that I was here to catch you," he replied in a suave tone. Emma responded with a shy smile.

"Let's just take it easy now, shall we?" Kevin smiled as the two began to just slowly sway back and forth.

"This is my kind of dancing," Emma said happily, laying her head on Kevin's shoulder as they continued to dance silently.

Back in the kitchen, the dishes weren't the only thing being cleaned as Nick and Piper were in the midst of another battle...this one involving water.

"Could you hand me that plate?" Nick asked so he could dry and put it up.

"Sure," Piper said with a sly smile. She had an idea to get him back for stealing Boardwalk.

She flung the plate in his direction, not releasing it, causing all the water to fly in his face.

Nick made a face of shock, not believing what Piper had just done to him. Piper couldn't hold in her high pitched laugh as she held her stomach.

Before she knew what was going on, Nick had reached for the sprayer attached to the sink and sprayed it in her face.

Piper let out a squeal as she grabbed the washrag from the sink and threw it at him, hitting him directly in the chest.

"It's on like Donkey Kong," Nick said as he turned up the water pressure.

"Oh no!" Piper turned to try to run but slipped and hit her head on the counter.

"Oh my gosh!" Nick said as he sat down on the floor next to Piper, "Are you ok?" he asked in a panic.

Piper groaned, "My head hurts," she said as she rubbed her head to feel a warm wet spot. She pulled her hand away to find it stained crimson.

"You're bleeding," Nick exclaimed worriedly as he pulled Piper's hand into his and examined her forehead.

"Where is your first-aid kit?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"Under the sink," Piper groaned, still not feeling well.

Nick didn't even have to move to reach the kit as he retrieved the kit from under the sink.  
>He pulled out some disinfectant and some band-aids.<p>

"Can you name the first 5 presidents?" Nick asked as he began to apply the disinfectant cream to Piper's injury, causing her to flinch away from him.

"Hold still," he said softly as he gently cupped her chin, pulling her back to him. She obliged, reluctantly.

"Now, who are those presidents?" he asked again, referring back to his previous question, as he then began to apply the band-aid.

"I dunno," she admitted sadly.

"You might have a concussion," Nick said worriedly.

"No; I just really don't know," Piper said with a small laugh, then flinched. "Laughing is bad," Piper said sadly.

Nick smiled sympathetically, "Let me look at your eyes," he said as he gently lifted her chin.  
>"No dilation," he said happily but then got quiet.<p>

"You have pretty eyes," he complimented her, causing her to look down.

"Thank you," she said bashfully, "could you help me to the living room?" she asked.

"Of course," Nick said as he stood then offered her his hand. She gladly accepted as Nick slowly pulled her up.

"Oh," she groaned, "head rush," Piper said as she leaned into Nick's chest. He softly, but firmly wrapped his arm around her as they slowly made their way into the living room, where they found Kevin and Emma dancing.

When Emma saw the band-aid on Piper's head, and Piper practically being carried by Nick, she quickly pulled out of Kevin's arms and rushed over to her friend.

"What happened?" she asked in a panic as Kevin, too, rushed over to see what had happened.

"We got in a little water fight and Piper fell while trying not to get hit. It's not as bad as it looks," Nick answered, the concern still evident in his voice.

"Poor baby," Emma said as she sat next to Piper on the couch. They all sat together for a couple of minutes, while music was still playing quietly in the background.

"It's getting pretty late," Kevin started, causing Emma looked up at him; he had sat down on the armrest next to her, and finished, "we should probably go to bed since we have such an early morning. Are you going to be ok?" he asked Piper.

"Yeah I'll be fine, y'all go on up," she said with a smile.

"If you need us, we'll just be upstairs," Emma said as she gently patted Piper's back before the two headed upstairs.

"Alright Piper, let's get you up to bed," Nick said, offering his hand.

Piper moaned, "No, just leave me here. I like this couch," she explained groggily.

"No ma'am, you'll never get a good nights rest down here. C'mon," Nick said, teasingly as he lifted her off the couch and carried her upstairs.

Meanwhile, Kevin walked Emma to her room and said, "Thank you for these three days. It's been really wonderful."

"Except for that fight..." Emma teased with a soft smile, causing Kevin let out a quiet chuckle.  
>"Yes; except for that fight," he said, before becoming serious, "which I am terribly sorry for," he said as he moved closer to her.<p>

"I can't wait until you get back to New York City; I'm hoping we can spend more time together," he confessed to her.

"I would like that," Emma said as she looked up into Kevin's eyes. Neither one of them moved because they knew the sooner that they went to bed, the sooner Kevin would have to leave in the morning.

"Sweet dreams," Kevin said sadly, before taking her hand and placing a soft kiss on it.

"Good night, Kevin," Emma said, blushing, "See you in the morning."

With that they each parted ways, sadly, to get some sleep.

Once Nick got Piper upstairs and in her bed, gently he kissed her forehead near the injury.

"I'm gonna stay for a little while to make sure you're ok," Nick said to Piper as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"I'm fine," Piper replied, "go on and get some rest," she smiled reassuringly.

Nick reluctantly stood.

"If you need anything, please come get me," he said softly before leaving to go to his own room.

All four were sad about what tomorrow would bring...


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning everyone got ready for the day, and it was as if a rain cloud was directly above the house. Everyone was walking around moping, taking their time to get packed and ready. The ride to the airport was just as sad and boring.

"Anyone want the radio on?" Emma asked, attempting to break the sorrowful silence.

Kevin answered, "I wouldn't mind a little music, but make it happy."

Emma's heart pulled at his request as she obliged, popping in one of Piper's new pop CDs. Unfortunately, it didn't work and even Piper was still staring mindlessly out the window.

When they arrived at the airport, the girls escorted the boys as far as they could. Once they hit security, it was time to say goodbye.

Kevin hugged Piper and then Emma. He softly placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"See y'all soon," he said, with a grin.

"Y'all?" Emma asked with a huge smile, "Sounding a little southern there; I like that!" She was thankful that Kevin tried to make the situation a little better.

Nick hugged Emma next, and then as he hugged Piper, she said, "So, I guess this is goodbye." Even Emma hurt at the sound of Piper's statement, hoping that it wasn't true.

As Nick pulled back, he whispered in her ear, "No its not. I'll see you as soon as you get back."

With that the boys walked onward to their gate, leaving Piper and Emma with a sad ride home.

The girls spent their last few days with family and friends, the whole time keeping their house guests of earlier that week a secret. People could tell that something was up with the girls though. When they were home they just rehearsed their songs for the upcoming gig in the city and mostly kept to themselves. On their last day in Birmingham, Piper recieved a text that read '_Hello beautiful_.' She didn't recognize the number so she replied, '_Who is this?_' A reply came seconds later, '_Nick, what's up?_'

Piper ran to Emma's room. "Nick just texted me!"

"What? How did he know your number?" Emma asked, also excited because they made contact again.

Piper thought for a second, "Oh! I gave it to him on the plane because he said we should go to Yankees game sometime; let me reply real quick." She sent, '_Using your own song lyrics on me...shame, shame. lol. We're good, how about you and Kevin?_'

"Did you ask about Kevin?" Emma asked excitedly, barely able to contain herself.

"Yes, silly. Calm it down," Piper said, smiling.

Emma sat back down and waited for Piper to get a response.

Piper's phone chimed; the text read, '_My song, so I can use it how I want :-) Anyway, we're good. I miss you and I wanted to get in a quick message. When do you come back?_'

Piper relayed the info to Emma and replied, '_Tomorrow at 1 pm. P.S. I miss you too._'

Emma and Piper spent their last night out with a friend from college and happily anticipated getting back to the city.

The next morning, the girls packed up quickly to get to the airport nice and early. Upon arrival to the airport, the girls realized how tired they actually were.

"Dude," Emma said, "I'm about to pass out."

"Coffee?" Piper asked, half wondering why Emma didn't come up with that on her own.

Emma nodded as they headed to the local Starbucks. Before they knew it, it was time for them to board the plane and head to where they now called home.

Both the girls were quiet on the plane ride; both reading some teen love novels they bought in the airport.

"Ugh! I can't read this anymore," Emma said as she slammed down the book.

"Kevin?" Piper asked, knowing the exact reason why she put the book down. Emma nodded.

"Me too," Piper said, referring to her thoughts about Nick.

"I just miss them," Emma said sadly.

"Me too," Piper agreed once more as she pulled out her phone to play a game with Emma.

The plane landed and the girls went directly to baggage claim to pick up their bags. They got their belongings and headed towards the taxi area of the airport.

They moved closer to one another as they saw two guys approaching them. The girls walked past the creepy men only to hear, "Do you girls need a ride?"

"Back off creep," Piper said threateningly, as she stepped in front of Emma to block her. Emma still wasn't use to the cultural differences yet.

"Creep?" the boys smiled as the girls continued to walk away.

"Dude, our disguises work really well, and I didn't even need a mustache this time!" one of the guys said to the other.

Emma stopped in her tracks, "Kevin?" she exclaimed excitedly as she moved to get a better look at the guys.

"How did you know?" he asked bewildered.

Emma laughed as she ran up to him and gave him a huge hug.

While Emma and Kevin were being reunited, Piper slowly walked up to Nick.

"Sorry I called you a creep," Piper said bashfully, causing Nick to smirk.

"Oh, where did the big tough girl go?" he teased.

"Well, since I know who you are now, I no longer have to cut you," she said smugly.

"Jeez, now I know you really were born in New York," he finished, still teasingly.

"Alright you two," Kevin said referring to the girls, "let's get you home."

Once they got loaded in the car, Kevin asked, "Before you go home, would you two like to grab some pizza?"

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed excitedly. She had to admit that she loved Alabama a little bit more than New York, since it was her true home and all, but the New York pizza did make up for it.

"I can't believe you guys are here," Piper said, still in shock, while smiling at Nick.

"We wanted to surprise you," Nick said with a sly grin.

"Well you certainly did, you creeper," Emma laughed, "I was totally freaked out, but I knew Piper would have taken care of it," she winked to her friend.

"We wouldn't let anything happen to either one of you," Kevin said charmingly to both the girls.

Soon they pulled up to the pizza place, the boys still in their disguises, and walked inside. They ordered a large pizza to share between them.

"So what are you guys doing later?" Piper asked, hoping that they could all spend some time together.

Nick sighed, "We have to head back to the studio and wrap up some tracks."

"Yeah, we're finally back with Joe so we need to use this time to our advantage," Kevin said in an unusual business like tone.

"Oh," Emma said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"But we have some free time tomorrow," Kevin said quickly, trying to cheer Emma up.

"Yeah, and I was thinking we could hit up that Yankees game tomorrow night," Nick said to Piper.

"I would love that," Piper practically squealed in excitement.

* * *

><p>Hey everyone! I just wanna give a shout out to my reviewers! They make me smile and give me motivation to keep going so thank you so much! Much Love! :)<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

The next evening, Piper got ready for the game and threw on some jean carpi's, a red pair of wedges, and a Derek Jeter t-shirt. She decided to wear her hair down and straightened, adding a touch of cute dangley navy blue earrings to combat the casual outfit. She then went to Emma's room to see what she chose to wear. Piper found Emma in a cute summer white dress accented by blue flower designs, a cute pair of wedges, and her normally straight hair in spiral curls.

"You look awesome!" Piper exclaimed upon entering the room.

Emma looked up, a little freaked out from the surprise, but then laughed.

"Thanks," she said excitedly as she looked over her friend, "You look perfect!" she complimented.

Piper smiled, "Thanks," she replied, also excited about the evening. The girls finished getting ready as they heard a knock at the door. Piper rushed down to find Kevin on the other side of the door.

"Hey Kevin," Piper said, a little disappointed that it wasn't Nick.

Kevin couldn't help but notice the disappointment as he asked, "Is Emma ready?"

Before Piper could answer, Emma came down the stairs. Piper watched silently as Kevin's face lit up at the sight of Emma.

"You two behave," Piper said as Kevin opened the door for Emma and they went on their way.

Piper took a seat on the couch and turned on some T.V. while waiting for Nick to arrive. About ten minutes later there was another knock at the door. Piper tried not to get too excited as she answered the door. Nick was on the other side in a Yankees jersey and jeans.

"I like that jersey," Piper said with a grin.

Nick smiled, "Thank you. I like you're game gear too, though those shoes may be a bit uncomfortable," he teased.

"I'll handle it. I just want my ball park hot dog," Piper said excitedly.

Nick smiled as he escorted her out to the car.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Kevin was taking Emma out to dinner.<p>

"Where are we going?" Emma asked Kevin casually, as they walked down the street together, although she was slightly disappointed that Kevin had to wear a hat and sunglasses on their walk to where ever it was they were going.

"I'm not going to tell you and ruin the surprise," he smiled as he took Emma's hand, leading her in the right direction.

"This way," he said as they turned the corner. It was then that Emma saw the restaurant that Kevin was taking her to. It was southern style barbecue place named Virgil's.

"You're taking me to a southern place?" Emma asked excitedly.

"I was hoping you'd like it," Kevin said with a relieved grin.

"Like it? I love it!" Emma said as she began to pull Kevin towards the restaurant.

* * *

><p>Piper and Nick arrived at the park 15 minutes early and were escorted into a private section of the stadium. Piper looked around in amazement.<p>

"I've never sat somewhere where I wasn't going to get beer spilled on me," Piper said excitedly as she tugged at Nick's arm causing him to laugh.

"Good, I'm glad you like it. So how about those hot dogs?" he grinned.

"Yes!" Piper exclaimed as she started to head back to the concession stand.

"Where are you going?" Nick said as he grabbed Piper's hand, trying to stop her from leaving.

"Um, to get our hot dogs?" she said obviously.

"We shouldn't leave," Nick said seriously as he pulled her over to their seats.

"Why not?" Piper asked disappointedly.

"Someone will bring them to us," Nick said as if he was trying to hide something.

"Uh-huh," Piper said smugly as she turned away from him. Nick sighed.

"Ok, I just don't want to get mobbed by people and scare you away," Nick admitted almost shamefully.

"It'd take a lot more than that to scare me away from you," Piper said softly as she turned back to Nick.

"Promise? Because it can get kinda crazy," he said honestly.

"Promise...now where's my hot dog?" Piper asked with a giggle, trying to lighten the mood.

Soon Piper's hot dog was delivered after the national anthem was sung. The game started off and the Red Sox hit a home-run off the first pitch.

"Are you kidding me?" Piper exclaimed, "This is my first rivalry game, and this is how it starts?"

"Hey," Nick said as he patted Piper's hand, "it's just the beginning; anything can happen," he finished comfortingly with a soft smile.

* * *

><p>Kevin reluctantly took his sunglasses and hat off as him and Emma entered the restaurant. Emma didn't notice due to her looking around the restaurant with excitement.<p>

"I figured you might get a little home sick sometimes, so I thought I'd bring you a little taste of the south to the big city...but I can't guarantee you the people in here are going to be as friendly," Kevin said with a small laugh as they were seated to a table.

"That's alright," Emma said with a sweet smile, "I've come to accept the fact that people are a little different up here," she told him honestly.

"But you're very sweet for doing this for me," she complimented, causing Kevin to blush.

"I just want you to have a good time tonight," Kevin replied as he placed his hand on top of Emma's, that was resting on the table. Emma responded by giving Kevin's hand a gentle squeeze.

* * *

><p>The baseball game went on and by the seventh inning stretch the game was tied. "This is too much," Piper said, "I can't handle all this suspense."<p>

"Just breathe," Nick said sweetly, "the Yanks got this. How about you stop pacing and take a seat, maybe that would help," he suggested with a smile.

Piper took his advice and sat back down next to him as the game started back up. He placed a hand on her knee to try and keep her in her seat.

The Red Sox were up to bat as Piper covered her face, "I can't watch anymore!"

Nick looked over at her affectionately, "Please move your hands, its going great so far."

As soon as Piper removed her hands the Red Sox's batter hit a home run, "Oh no! I'm like a jinx. I'm just gonna wait in the car until this is over, it'll be better for the team."

* * *

><p>So far Kevin and Emma's dinner was going perfectly. They talked and got to know each other a little bit better.<p>

"I don't know what else to tell you," Emma said with a laugh as the two waited on dessert, "I feel like I've told you everything about me," she confessed.

"Come on; there has to be something," Kevin asked. He wanted to know everything there was to know about the girl he with. Emma sat and thought for a few minutes before speaking up, "Well...ok..." she hesitated, as if having second thoughts before speaking, "I must admit, I am a thumb wrestling champion," she said, before laughing in embarrassment.

"Oh really?" Kevin asked with one raised eyebrow, "let's see," he challenged as he placed his hand on the table in the thumb wrestling position.

"I'd hate to beat you in public, Kevin," Emma teased with a playful smirk and a wink.

"You talk big, missy," he replied with a confident grin.

"Ok, you asked for it," she said as she accepted the challenge. The two played their thumb wrestling game until the waiter returned with their dessert.

Emma pulled her hand away quickly, embarrassed that the two had been caught, but Kevin just admired the bashful girl sitting across from him.

* * *

><p>The baseball game continued to be neck and neck until the bottom of the ninth.<p>

"All they need is one run and we win," Piper said excitedly.

Nick smiled at her, enjoying all her reactions to the events of the evening. The bases were loaded as A-rod came up to bat.

"Oh no!" Piper exclaimed, "A-rod is a choke artist."

Nick looked at her, "I don't know if that's the best way to get the win, you know, with motivation like that," he chuckled at her.

Piper held her breath in anticipation of a strike out but then she was surprised to see A-Rod send the ball out of right field and win the game by four runs.

"Oh my gosh!" Piper exclaimed excitedly as she jumped out of her seat, grabbing Nick and pulling him up with her. She made him join her in a Yankee dance, and he more than willingly obliged.

They suddenly came to an stop; facing one another. Nick gently placed a strand of hair behind Piper's ear and softly inched toward her face. Piper closed her eyes and began to lean in as well, and before she knew it, she felt the touch of Nick's lips upon hers.

They shared a short, but passionate kiss before Nick pulled away.

Piper slowly pulled away smiling, while Nick had a look of, almost, panic upon his.

Piper grabbed some souvenirs on the way out, surprised by Nick's sudden quietness when they had just had such a wonderful time.

"Are you ok?" Piper asked, concerned that she had done something wrong.

Nick looked at her for the first time since the kiss and said, "Yeah, I'm just trying to get us out of here."

Piper couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, so she stayed silent.

Once they got in the car, Nick looked at her and apologized, "I'm sorry."

Piper looked at him, confused by his apology, "Sorry for what?"

Nick looked surprised that Piper didn't know, so he explained, "The kiss. I was caught up in the heat of the moment and it was inappropriate. I apologize."

Piper was appalled at the fact that Nick had just apologized for kissing her. She wasn't sure how to respond, so she remained silent for the rest of the ride.

* * *

><p>Emma and Kevin had just finished dinner, and to Emma's surprise, she didn't spill anything on her white dress.<p>

"Where are we going now?" Emma asked as Kevin offered her his arm. She gladly accepted with a small blush on her cheeks.

"It's a surprise," Kevin said with a child-like grin as he started to lead them towards Central Park.

"Oh my gosh, are we going to the park?" Emma asked in a panic as she realized where they were heading.

"What's wrong with the park?" Kevin asked sadly.

"Piper told me never to go there at night. We shouldn't go," she said firmly as she stopped in her tracks.

"It's ok, nothing bad is going to happen," Kevin said confidently as he grabbed Emma's hand and began to walk again.

"No, there's scary homeless people there. They could hurt us, especially if they figure out who you are," Emma hinted towards the fact of Kevin being a rock star.

"It's ok, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise," Kevin said softly as he gently touched Emma's cheek, "It'll be worth it. Just trust me," he finished softly.

Emma moved in closer to Kevin, causing him to wrap his arm protectively around her shoulders.

The two finally entered the park, hesitantly thanks to Emma, only to find a horse and carriage riding through the park.

"I've always wanted to ride one of those," Emma admitted to Kevin with a dreamy sigh.

"Well that's good," Kevin grinned, "because that one is for you."

"Nu-huh," Emma said excitedly in disbelief as she pulled away from Kevin to look at his face.

"It is," he confirmed with a small chuckle. Emma wrapped her arms around his neck in gentle hug.

The carriage pulled up to them and Kevin offered her his hand to help her into the carriage.

Emma shivered at the cold wind she felt as they rode down the pathways of the park.

"Are you cold?" Kevin asked her as he rested his arm around her shoulder.

"Yes," she whispered as she moved into his chest, causing him to pull her in more.

Emma looked up into Kevin's eyes, "Thank you for everything tonight. This has been the best night I've ever had," she told him honestly.

"I'm just glad you're having a good time," Kevin whispered as he gently touched her chin.

He slowly began to lean in and before Emma had to chance to think, their lips softly met in a passionate kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

Soon Piper and Nick arrived at the girls' apartment.

"Thanks for going to the game with me. I hope we can go again soon," Nick told Piper while she was getting out of the car.

She didn't acknowledge his words as she slammed the door shut and stormed upstairs to her apartment.

Emma came home, happily, to find Piper laying on the couch, eating a huge bag of Doritos.

"What are you doing? Didn't you go to the game with Nick?' Emma asked, shocked by the sight in front of her.

Piper looked up and answered, "Yeah I went," she said shortly.

"Well, did they lose or something?" Emma asked as she took a seat by her best friend.

Piper answered nonchalantly, "We won."

Emma snatched the bag of chips from Piper's hand and said, aggravated, "Then what's wrong?"

Piper sat up as tears filled her eyes, "I don't know what happened. We had a great time at the game and he kissed me after they won but then on the car ride home he apologized for it."

"Why did he apologize?" Emma asked curiously.

"He said that he did it in the heat of the moment and that it was inappropriate," Piper explained between sobs.

Emma sat back, shocked, "Are you serious? Why would he do that to you? I was sure he was into you."

"I guess not and I don't know," Piper answered, almost hyperventilating.

Emma grabbed her friend in a hug and decided not to mention her night with Kevin.

Piper let go and tried to suck up her tears before she asked, "How was your date with Kevin?"

"It was ok," she said, not wanting to go into detail about her awesome night.

That same night, Kevin returned to the house of Jonas to find Nick writing and working on a sad sounding song.

"I had the most wonderful evening with Emma!" Kevin exclaimed excitedly as he entered Nick's room.

Nick smirked, "Must be nice," he said smugly.

"What's your deal?" Kevin asked as he walked over to his brother.

"Dude...I kissed Piper," Nick said sadly with a sigh.

"Awesome!" Kevin said excitedly for his brother, "so, explain to me why you are so sad."

"Cause I ruined everything," Nick groaned as he ran both his hands through his hair.

"I don't understand; how did you ruin it?" Kevin asked as he sat down on the ground in front of his brother.

"I kissed her after we scored a home run and I apologized because I didn't think it was the right timing, and...I guess I phrased it wrong or something cause she slammed the door in my face when I dropped her off," Nick explained.

"Well...did you enjoy the kiss?" Kevin asked, trying to help his brother come to some sort of conclusion.

"Of course I did, but even if I do want a relationship with her I ruined it, like I always do," Nick said in a frustrated tone as he stood up and began to pace.

"The only reason those didn't work out is because they weren't meant to be. Relationships are never going to work out until you find the right one. You can't just give up, you'll never find anyone if you don't try," Kevin said wisely.

"Well it's too late for Piper," Nick said as he plopped back down in his chair.

"It's never too late," Kevin smiled. "Listen...me and Emma have another date tomorrow; come by their place with me and talk to Piper while I take Emma out. I'll keep her out for a bit so you two can have your time together," he finished kindly.

"Thanks dude. I appreciate it," Nick said as he hugged his brother.

The next night, Piper helped Emma get ready for her date again; Kevin was taking Emma ice skating then out for dinner again.

"I'm really glad you two hit it off so well last night," Piper smiled softly, referring to Emma and Kevin, as she handed her friend a necklace.

"Thanks," Emma said quietly, still feeling terrible for Piper, "You know, maybe this could be fixed if you two just talked it out," she said, referring to Piper and Nick.

"There's nothing to talk about," Piper said bitterly, as she began to walk downstairs, quickly followed by Emma.

"Of course there's something to talk about. He liked you, I know he did," Emma said firmly as the girls walked into the living area.

"Well if he liked me so much, why is he sorry for kissing me?" Piper asked, her voice quivering with pain.

As Piper finished, there was a knock at the door. Emma looked down at her watch to see the time.

"It's Kevin," she whispered to Piper. It was time for their date.

"Go on," Piper shooed Emma towards the door. Emma gave her friend a unsure look, only to be pushed toward the door by her friend.

"Hey," Emma said as she put on a fake smile while opening the door. She was surprised to not only see Kevin, but Nick standing there as well.

"Bye, Piper," Emma called to her friend as she walked out the door and pushed Nick inside, before slamming the door.

Nick stood there nervously and cleared his throat. Piper was startled by the sound and quickly turned around to see who was there with her.

"Nick?" Piper said disgustedly, "What are you doing here?" she asked appalled by the sight of him.

"I had to apologize," Nick said as he made his way toward Piper.

"Didn't you already do that?" Piper asked with a glare, "So now you're apologizing for apologizing? A little redundant, don't you think?" Piper asked bitterly.

"No, I'm apologizing for hurting you. I never meant to do that," Nick said as he sat down next to Piper.

"Please leave," Piper said before Nick could talk any more.

"No, I'm not going to give up that easily," he said firmly as he faced Piper on the couch. She tried her best to avoid his eye contact.

"Too bad...I am asking you to leave," Piper said as she stood up and started walking towards the door.

"Piper, I don't regret what I did," Nick said as he started to follow her to the door.

"Really? Cause usually people apologize for things they regret," Piper said bitterly as she opened the door.

"I'm not leaving and I don't regret it," Nick said heatedly.

"Oh yeah? When you can prove that to me then I'll believe you," Piper challenged boldly.

Nick didn't miss a beat as he quickly made his way over to Piper, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her into him and placing a firm but yet passionate kiss upon her lips.


	17. Chapter 17

Do you think they're ok back there?" Emma asked worriedly to Kevin.

"Yeah they'll be fine," Kevin said confidently as they made their way towards the ice skating rink.

They soon arrived at the rink and got their skates.

"Ugh," Emma groaned in frustration as she tried to retie her skates for the third time.

"Are you having some trouble?" Kevin asked with a chuckle.

"No!" Emma said stubbornly as she tried to retie her skates once more.

"Let me help you," Kevin smiled as he knelt down and tied her skates tightly.

"Thanks; that actually feels a lot better," Emma said gratefully. Kevin stood up and offered his hand to her. He pulled her up into his arms and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before leading Emma to the ice.

The couple clumsily skated around a few times, holding hands and laughing, until Kevin noticed someone across the rink.

"I'll be right back, Emma," Kevin said as he gently let go of her hand and skated across the rink to a girl who was sitting down on a bench.

Emma decided not to just stand there waiting on Kevin so she continued to skate around until she fell flat on her butt.

"Oww," Emma groaned as she struggled to get herself up. It took her a couple of tries to get back up on her own, causing her pants to get soaking wet with freezing water.

"Emma," she heard her name being called. She looked up to see Kevin with a beautiful blond girl, both skating over towards her.

"This is a friend of mine, Beth," Kevin introduced her, "Beth, this is my friend Emma." Emma could feel her heart break slightly at the sound of being referred to as only a friend.

Beth laughed softly, "Kevin," she giggled his name, "don't be so modest. We use to date," she informed Emma bluntly.

"Oh," Emma said with a fake smile, trying to hide her insecurity, "it's very nice to meet you," she finished as she extended her hand. Beth gladly accepted and the girls shook hands.

"Um, Kevin, what time is our dinner reservation?" Emma asked as she looked down at her watch.

"Oh, where are you two going?" Beth asked excitedly as she clasped her hands together.

"John's Pizzeria," Kevin said with a smile.

"I love that place!" Beth said excitedly, smiling at Kevin.

"Why don't you join us?" he asked kindly. Emma could feel sting of tears burning her eyes as the two kept talking. She didn't want to cry in front of the two people standing in front of her, so she decided to hit the volume button on her phone making the ringtone go off.

"Hello?" she pretended to answer the phone. She made up a imaginary conversation and then 'hung up'.

"Piper needs me to come home," she said seriously.

"Oh, should I come with you?" Kevin asked concerned, probably more about his brother than Piper.

"No, it's fine. You two go get some dinner," she said shortly, "I'll see you two later. It was nice meeting you, Beth," Emma finished with a fake smile.

"You too," Beth waved at her, mimicking Emma's tone.

Emma left the skating rink as quickly as she could and made her way home, alone, in the dark.

Back at the apartment, Nick and Piper were cuddling on the couch. Nick had his arm wrapped around Piper's waist as she rested her head against his chest.

"I'm really glad you forgave me," Nick said softly, "because I wasn't sure if you were going to," he confessed, his voice lined with emotion.

"How could I not? You made quite a case," Piper said as she lifted her head and gave him a sweet smile. She then reached over and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV. She began flipping through channels until she landed upon the movie JAWS.

"Oh my gosh!" Piper said excitedly as she almost fell off the couch.

"Whoa," Nick said causally as he readjusted his grip on her, "what are you so excited about?" he asked curiously.

"Jaws; what else?" she asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right...of course...who doesn't love Jaws?" Nick responded sarcastically.

"Hey!" Piper pointed her finger at him, "watch it!" she threatened, causing Nick to smile in response.

As soon as their conversation ended, Emma entered the room and slammed the door.

"What are you doing home so early?" Piper asked as she sat up on the couch.

"Men!" Emma screamed as she made her way to her bedroom and slammed that door as well.

"Um, I'll be right back," Piper said in confusion as she got up to check on her friend.

"Should I leave?" Nick asked worriedly.

"No, it probably won't take long. She usually likes to be alone when she's upset, so keep my seat warm and let me know if any important lines are said while I'm gone," she said as she made her way up the stairs.

Piper softly knocked on the door, "Emma, can I come in?" she asked hesitantly, only to hear something violently hit the door.

Piper opened the door anyway, to find that Emma had thrown a book at the door.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked as she walked into the bedroom, only to find her friend crying on her bed.

"He doesn't like me," Emma said sadly as she sat up in her bed, "he introduced me as just a friend," she barely squeaked out.

"What do you mean he doesn't like you? He kissed you just last night, and who did he introduce you to?" Piper asked in shock.

"This girl, she was his ex...she showed up at the ice rink and he invited her to join us at dinner. I told him you called and I had to go," Emma finished sadly.

"What was her name?" Piper asked curiously.

"Beth...and she was so pretty. She had blond hair and was tan...and I had just fallen and was covered in wet spots on my pants..." Emma trailed off into tears.

"Beth? Of course, Beth. That's the most hated name in America," Piper laughed trying to make her friend feel better.

"Well obviously Kevin likes it," Emma said as she laid back down in her bed.

"Aw, girlfriend," Piper comforted, "I'm going to tell Nick to head home and me and you will have a girls' night," she finished with a pat on the back to her friend.

As Piper exited Emma's room, she ran into Nick.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked him quietly as she pulled him away from Emma's door.

"I wanted to see what was wrong with Emma. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was concerned; and plus she said 'men' when she came in so I assumed it had to do with Kevin," he admitted.

"So you heard everything? You heard how your brother's a jerk?" Piper asked bluntly.

"I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. Beth is an old flame and I'm sure Kevin was just excited to run into her," Nick tried to reason.

"Oh, I bet he was excited...you tell Beth that if I ever see her I'm going to punch her in the face," Piper said defensively. She then took a few deep breaths before speaking, "And if you don't like me any more I totally understand," Piper finished with a smile, causing Nick to chuckle.

"No, I respect the fact that you defend people that you love. I'm gonna head home and talk to Kevin," Nick said as they both walked to the door of the apartment.

"I'll talk to you soon," Nick said as he leaned in and kissed Piper's cheek.

"Bye," Piper said softly as she shut the door.

Nick arrived home before Kevin that night, so he decided to go into his brother's room and wait on him. About 30 minutes later, Kevin entered his room and was shocked to find his brother there, playing one of his guitars.

"Did something go wrong with Piper? Emma said she had to leave early to make it home because Piper needed her," Kevin explained as he took a seat next to his brother.

"If Emma left so early, why did it take you so long to get home?" Nick asked suspiciously.

"I ran into Beth at the skating rink," Kevin said causally, like it was nothing.

"The skating rink? While you were with Emma?" Nick asked with one raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?" Kevin asked, confused.

"Think this one through, Kevin," Nick said slowly, "you were on a date...with Emma...and you went to dinner with who? Not Emma," Nick answered for his brother.

"Wait..." Kevin said, "Was Emma upset?" he asked cluelessly.

"Of course she was upset. That was your exgirlfriend...you ditched the girl you were dating, for your ex, while you were on your date! And you introduced her as only a friend!" Nick exclaimed, upset by how his brother could be so clueless.

"What's wrong with that? Emma is my friend," Kevin said softly, as he started to realize what he had actually done.

"You don't go around kissing girls who are just your 'friends,' Kevin," Nick said sternly.

"Well you're one to talk," Kevin said angrily as he stood from his bed.

"I made mine right," Nick said defensively, "now you go fix yours or throw everything you had with Emma away for some stupid girl who just wanted to use you in the first place," Nick finished, referring to Beth, as he got up and left his brother's room in anger.

"How am I going to fix this?" Kevin groaned outloud to himself as he laid back in his bed.


	18. Chapter 18

Kevin finally fell asleep that night, but soon was quickly awakened with a start, made an important phone call then ran to Nick's room. He shook Nick awake, causing Nick to become irritated, very quickly.

"What do you want, Kevin?" Nick asked, in a tone so aggravated it could scare a ghost.

Kevin ignored his brother's annoyance and answered, "I figured it out!"

"Figured what out?" Nick asked, frustrated as he rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed.

"I know how to fix things with Emma! Remember that song you were working on?" Kevin asked making hand motions as if he was trying to help Nick remember.

Nick sat for a second, thinking, "The one I was playing when I was upset?" he asked, hoping he was right so he could get back to sleep.

Kevin's eyes lit up, "Yes! We are gonna finish it, then I need you to convince Piper to get Emma to our private gig and we'll perform it and I'll dedicate it to her."

Nick looked confused, "What private gig?"

Kevin looked at Nick as if he were stupid, "The one we're doing in a small club once Joe gets back Wednesday. I just scheduled it before waking you up."

Nick threw a pillow at Kevin, flopped back in his bed and said, "Good, now can I please go back to sleep?"

With that, Kevin left and went back to go to sleep, excited to share the song with Emma.

The next morning Nick called Piper to get her to meet him at a local Starbucks.

"What is so important that you couldn't just come to the apartment?" Piper asked suspiciously, as the two took their seats.

"Kevin is really upset about hurting Emma," Nick started, only to be interrupted by Piper.

"As he should be," she said bitterly. Kevin was still on Piper's bad side for hurting her best friend.

"Anyways," Nick said awkwardly, "We kind of developed a plan for him to apologize to her," he went on to explain.

"We're performing a low key show here in town soon and Kevin wants to dedicate a song to her."

"So, what does that have to do with us meeting here?" Piper asked. She didn't like being out with Nick in public when he had to hide who he was under a hat and a pair of sunglasses.

"I...we," Nick corrected himself, "need you to talk Emma into coming. Kevin told me she hasn't been responding to any of his phone calls or texts," Nick said sadly, knowing how his brother must have been feeling.

"I'm not going to force her to do anything that she doesn't want to do," Piper said sternly, not wanting her friend to feel any more pain than she already had.

"Please Piper," Nick said, "if not for Kevin, then for me," he pleaded.

Piper couldn't see the look in his eyes due to his sunglasses, but she could hear the desperation in his voice. She sighed in defeat.

"If he hurts her again, not only will I punch that Beth girl in the face...I'll punch Kevin in the face too," she said seriously.

Nick smiled softly at Piper's response; happy that she agreed to help, but also knowing she meant every word.

"Thank you," he said as he reached across the table and gently took hold of Piper's hand.

She gave it a gentle squeeze in response before speaking, "Alright, I guess we better go," she finished with a sigh.

"I got a lot of work ahead of me if I'm gonna get Emma to go somewhere," she told Nick with a smile as they both stood.

"Thank you," Nick whispered before softly kissing the corner of Piper's lips, "I'll call you later tonight and let you know when the show is."

Piper blushed in response before speaking, "Ok, talk to you soon," she said as they walked out the door together before heading their separate ways.

Piper got home a little later that afternoon, after heading down by the bridge to think of the best way to get Emma out and about. Nick had called and informed her that the show would be on the 4th of July, and Piper hoped that would be easier to get Emma out of the house, since it was a holiday and all.

Piper walked up the stairs of their apartment and entered Emma's room to find her listening to her iPod with headphones in her ears, looking up at the ceiling. Piper sighed sadly, knowing that her friend was in pain.

"Hey girlfriend, how ya feeling?" Piper asked as she sat with her friend and patted her arm.

Emma pulled her headphones out of her ears and looked at her friend with sad eyes, "I'm ok. What's up?"

"Oh nothing, I just heard a rumor that New Politics may be playing a private show on the 4th of July and maybe you might like to go together?" Piper asked, with a smile of sweet innocence.

"How could we get into their private show?" Emma asked, trying to fake interest. Even though New Politics were one of her most favorite bands, she was still pretty upset about the way Kevin had treated her.

"I have my ways," Piper said with a sly grin. "C'mon, it'll be fun. Remember how awesome their live shows are?"

Emma smiled, thinking back to the time her and Piper had first seen the band's show. They had put on an amazing preformance and Emma had the time of her life.

"Alright," she sighed, "I'll go."

"Awesome, we're gonna have a great time, girlfriend. I promise," Piper said with a triumphant smile and a gleam in her eye.

It was now the night of the 4th and the girls were getting ready to go to the show. They put on some cute outfits, did their makeup and soon were on their way.

"I'm so excited; it's going to be a great show," Emma said as the girls walked to the club where the show was going to be preformed. Piper couldn't help but laugh nervously as she thought of the surprise that Emma in store.

"Me too; and it is going to be a great show," Piper confirmed, as she tried to avoid eye contact with her friend.

"I've never seen so many teeny-boppers at a New Politics show before," Emma noted outloud as the two girls made their way inside.

"Well..." Piper thought for a moment, "they're not as much of a hidden talent any more like they use to be," she finished as she grabbed Emma's hand and tried to make their way to the front of the stage.

The two girls finally made their way to the front of the stage. Not long after that, the lights went down and the club was emerged in the sound of screams from girls. Emma and Piper could see 3 guys making their way to the stage. Emma let out a cheer of excitement; little did she know who she was actually cheering for...

The lights finally came back on to reveal The Jonas Brothers standing on stage, right in front of Emma and Piper.

"What's going on?" Emma asked Piper angrily. Piper decided to play dumb as she shrugged her shoulders and pretended to be just as confused.

"Let's go!" Emma said sternly as she grabbed Piper's hand and tried to pull her away from the stage.

Piper stood her ground, "Wait, let's just see what's going on," she said as she pulled her friend back.

"Hello everybody," Nick said excitedly into the microphone causing all the girls to scream and shout. He searched the crowd, looking for the two girls that he needed to be there the most. It took him a moment, but soon he made eye contact with Piper and gave her a small wink.

Piper smiled back at Nick before looking around angrily at all the girls screaming over the guy that she was starting to develop feelings for.

"Tonight we wanted to do something a little different," Joe said this time. This was the first time that Piper and Emma had actually seen Joe in person.

"I'm leaving," Emma said furiously, "with or without you," she threatened Piper.

"Fine," Piper challenged as she crossed her arms.

"Ugh!" Emma exclaimed as she started to make her way away from the stage.

"I hurt someone," Kevin said abruptly into the microphone, trying to stop Emma from leaving, "someone I care about. My brothers and I worked on a song together about how we've made mistakes in the past, but this song is about trying to fix them...Just listen, please," Kevin finished before they started playing.

As soon as Emma heard Kevin's voice, she stopped in her tracks. She felt like a deer in headlights, not knowing what to do. All she could do was stand there and listen to the song that Kevin had just dedicated to her.

Emma felt tears stinging her eyes as she listened to the words of the song. Piper walked over to her friend and placed her arm around Emma's shoulders.

"Did you know about this?" Emma asked Piper towards the end of the song.

Piper only nodded in response, as the song ended.

"I don't know whether to be mad at you or cry from happiness," Emma confessed as her voice quaked shakily.

"Don't be mad," Piper smiled, "but if you are...Nick talked me into this," she tattled, causing Emma to softly laugh.

As the girls were in the midst of their conversation, they noticed a big man walking their way.

"Excuse me, ladies," he said, the girls then recognized him as Big Rob, the boys' body guard, "the guys would like to see you two backstage."

The girls gave each other a look before following him to the back of the stage.

Emma walked behind both Big Rob and Piper, not really sure what she would say or do when she saw Kevin.

As soon as the girls reached the backstage area, Big Rob left their side to go back to the floor area.

"You gonna be ok?" Piper whispered to her friend. Emma could only nod.

"Ok," Piper said with a reassuring smile. She looked over Emma's shoulder to see all three of the boys standing there, "Good luck," she whispered and gave her friend a hug before walking over to Nick.

Emma followed the direction of her friend, only to turn around and see Kevin standing there.

She couldn't fight the tears any longer as they begun to resurface and slowly fall down her cheeks.

"Emma," Kevin said softly as he rushed over to her, "please don't cry. I'm so sorry," he whispered as he gently wiped away her tears.

"I thought you didn't care about me, and I was so angry at you for leading me on, but I guess you really do care," Emma said quietly through her tears.

"Of course I care about you," Kevin said with a soft smile, "I wouldn't go through all that trouble of trying to make you happy if I didn't care."

Emma smiled up at Kevin as he gently cupped her cheek, "Forgive me?" Kevin asked softly, as his thumb lightly stroked the side of her face.

Emma only nodded as Kevin leaned down and softly kissed her lips.

"Yay!" Kevin and Emma heard from behind them. They both turned to see Nick, Piper, and Joe watching them.

"So much for some privacy," Kevin mumbled under his breath, causing Emma to softly laugh.

"Now that everything's all better, can I please be properly introduced to these two girls?" Joe asked his brothers.

"Joe," Kevin spoke up first, "this is Emma; she's the girl that I'm dating" he said proudly as he wrapped his arm around Emma's shoulders.

"It's nice to meet you," Emma said with a smile as she shook Joe's hand.

"And what about you two?" Joe asked as he directed his attention towards Nick and Piper.

"Joe," Nick said business-like, "this is Piper; she is the girl that I am dating," Nick finished with a small wink towards Piper.

Piper also extended her hand and shook hands with Joe.

"Geez, I go away for a couple of days and you both get girlfriends!" Joe exclaimed, "Maybe I should have went to Alabama too," he joked.

"Guys!" everyone was interrupted by Big Rob, "y'all need to head back out on stage. The crowd is getting a little crazy," he warned the boys.

"Don't leave after the show," Kevin warned the girls, as he leaned down and gave Emma one last kiss upon her cheek.

"Yeah, we have a surprise for you," Nick told them as he, too, leaned down and kissed Piper's cheek, before all the boys headed back out on stage.

"Let's go!" Piper exclaimed as she pulled Emma to the edge of the stage, so they could watch the rest of the show.


	19. Chapter 19

"Where are we going?" Piper asked excitedly as they loaded up into Kevin's Hummer H3.

Kevin answered with a smile, "It's a surprise," he winked.

"You and your surprises," Emma said as she climbed into the passenger seat.

Piper and Nick climbed into the back seat, "Just so you know, I _hate_ surprises," Piper said hinting to future references.

Nick smiled in response to Piper's sassy comment.

"So, how long are we going to be in this car?" Emma asked as she began to make herself comfortable.

"About 3 hours," Kevin said as he reached across the console and took hold of Emma's hand.

"3 hours?" Piper asked, "you do know that I'm from here and I know these exits?"

"No!" Nick exclaimed as he reached over and put his hand in front of Piper's eyes.

"We need something to blindfold her with," Nick said as he reached around to find something to use.

"Wait!" Piper exclaimed, "I promised my girl some New Politics, so could you put this on before you blindfold me?" she asked as she handed Kevin a CD.

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed excitedly as Kevin put the CD in.

"Ah ha!" Nick exclaimed as he found one of his bandannas that he had left in Kevin's car. He unbuckled his seatbelt and scooted over to Piper. He gently tied the bandanna around Piper's eyes as she reluctantly complied.

About an hour into the car ride, while Emma and Kevin had quiet conversations in the front seat, Piper had fallen asleep causing Nick to become bored.

He looked over to see Piper leaning her head back against the headrest, so he took a jacket that was lying on the ground, rolled it into a ball and placed it behind her head.

Two hours later they arrived at Sacandaga Lake in upstate New York.

"We're here," Kevin exclaimed as he pulled into a grassy parking spot next to a cabin located a few feet from a lake.

"Where are we?" Emma asked, "It kinda looks like Alabama," she finished happily.

"Eh, nope...we're a little farther than that," Nick said with a teasing tone to his voice.

"Time to wake up," Nick said softly as he took off Piper's blindfold.

"Where are we?" Piper asked as she looked around. She sat up and looked out the window and immediately recognized where she was.

"Oh my gosh! Are we at Sacandaga Lake?" she asked excitedly.

"No! You ruined the surprise," Kevin said disappointedly.

"It's ok," Emma said as she patted Kevin's hand, "I still have no idea where we are," she reassured him with a smile.

"How did you know what lake?" Nick asked, astonished.

"Dude, this was my home. I'd recognize these landmarks blindfolded," Piper winked with a triumphant grin.

They got out of the car and Emma started to go toward the house, but Kevin gently caught her hand, "We're not going in there yet," he said with a sly smile.

They continued walking a little ways until they reached the dock, where the boys helped the girls onto the boat.

"Why are we getting in a boat?" Piper asked as she leaned her head on Nick's shoulder while he started up the boat.

"Can't say just yet but you seem pretty good at this surprise thing, where do you think we're going?" Nick said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Emma, who was sitting next to Kevin in front of them, said, "You're gonna murder us and throw our bodies in the lake! Its so dark, no one would know. Perfect crime."

Kevin nudged her and explained, "I said we were going back to the house so that kinda rules out your suspicions. Any other guesses?" he asked.

Emma started to say something but Kevin added, "That has nothing to do with murders or crime."

Piper smiled at her friend and thought for a second, then exclaimed, "It's the fourth of July. We're going to watch the fireworks by Lanzi's!"

Kevin scowled at Piper. "Next surprise is gonna be in some far away land where Piper knows nothing about anything," he said with a smile.

"Would that be Kevin Land?" Nick asked eith a smirk.

Kevin started talking to Emma, pretending not to hear what was going on.

While waiting for the show to begin, Emma shivered, "Guess I didn't dress for the occasion," she admitted bashfully.

Kevin wrapped his arms around her and said, softly, "That's ok it gives me an excuse to hold you."

Emma smiled at him as she laid against his chest, tightly wrapped in his arms.

Once the boat was anchored, Piper and Nick joined Kevin and Emma in the front of the boat. Piper started to sit next to Nick, but instead he pulled her onto his lap.

Before they knew it, they were witnessing one of the best firework shows any of them had seen. Maybe it wasn't the show itself but the company they were in.

Much later that night, after the show was over, they cruised back to the cabin. "We're gonna stay till late tomorrow night, if that's ok?" Nick asked, hoping that it wouldn't be a problem.

Emma and Piper looked at each other before nodding. They got back around 2 AM and Nick showed everyone to their rooms for the night.

Kevin showed Emma to her room and gave her a little tour, when she stumbled upon a really nice guitar.

"Woah," she gasped as her face lit up with excitement, "Is this yours? Can I play this?"

He smiled at her enthusiasm, "Yes its mine, and of course you can play it."

She grinned back as she sat down with the guitar in her lap and began to play "Give Love a Try."

Kevin joined her on the bed and said, "I think I've heard this before," with a playful grin before he began to sing the lyrics along with her playing.

They played for a while until Emma started to yawn. "You should get to sleep," Kevin said sweetly as he leaned in to give her a kiss and take the guitar so she could lay down. He gently tucked her in as they kissed once more before saying goodnight.

Nick got ready for bed then headed to Piper's room to say goodnight. He found her staring out the window and walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he kissed her shoulder blade.

She turned to face him and sighed, "I just hate being alone in a place I don't know, and I can't really see myself sleeping. Also, I have some friends in town nearby and I'd love to see them, but we don't have that kind of time."

He smiled down at her, "I can stay until you fall asleep if you want," he offered.

Piper thought for a minute then answered, "If you don't mind, I'd really like that. I have just seen too many scary movies, thanks to Emma."

She went over and laid down under the covers while Nick sat down on the bed beside her. "If you want we can go into town tomorrow and maybe you'll see a few of those people."

Piper smiled, "Yeah, that'd be awesome! There's a driving range if you wanted to hit some balls. Beside that, we could maybe go horse riding."

He nodded, agreeing with her ideas. "Hey, there's something else that we wanted to talk about with you and Emma. We're going to LA to record our video next Monday and we thought it'd be really cool if you joined us," Nick asked, the hope for a yes evident in his eyes.

While Nick was talking, Piper was slowly drifting to sleep and she didn't get a chance to answer. Nick just smiled as Piper slowly slipped into a peaceful sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry about the wait everyone. I decided to upload again because someone requested it. It makes uploading a lot easier when I'm reminded that I have awesome readers! Thanks y'all. Much love :)

* * *

><p>The next morning, Emma and Piper were the first ones up, so they began to cook breakfast.<br>"Me and Nick are gonna go into town today so I can visit some friends, did you and Kevin want to join or would you maybe want some alone time?" Piper asked mischievously.  
>Emma smiled back and spoke with a giggle, "I think we're just gonna stay and enjoy the water, but you two have fun," she responded with a wink.<p>

The boys were up as soon as the food was laid out on the table as if they could smell it. "So, Piper, are we going to head into town after breakfast?" Nick asked, enjoying his breakfast.  
>Piper smiled back and answered, "Yeah that sounds good, I just need to get ready. Not everyone's hair curls as nicely as yours," she teased.<br>Nick responded by playfully kicking her under the table.

"Where are you two going?" Kevin asked, lost, as he looked up from his plate.  
>Piper answered, "The town that I'm from is just ten minutes down the road and I thought we could go horseback riding and maybe see some old friends of mine, or maybe hit up the driving range. You and Emma are welcome to join." Her last comment got Piper a less playful, under the table, kick from Emma.<br>"I could go for some golf," Kevin answered with a grin.  
>"Who said anything about golfing?" Emma asked with a look of confusion.<br>"The driving range is where you practice," Kevin explained, giving Emma a sweet smile.  
>Emma looked shocked, "Is that what that is? I didn't want to say anything, but I had no idea what Piper was talking about," she exclaimed with a laugh.<br>Piper grinned at the whole conversation, "So, you two in?"  
>"No, that's ok. You guys have fun, I'm gonna take Emma fishing," Kevin answered with a smile in Emma's direction.<br>Emma's face lit up at the sound of fishing. It was one of most favorite hobbies and she was so glad to be able to share it with Kevin.

After breakfast the two boys decided to clean up while the girls went to get ready. "Where did you find clothes for us?" Emma asked before she went to her room to change.  
>"Nick is a sneaky man," was the only thing Kevin said as he sent a wink the girls' way.<br>The girls looked at each other for a moment before heading to each of their own rooms.

Emma decided on a pair of jean Capri's, a red tank top, and some flip flops. If Kevin was taking her fishing, there was no reason to get dressed up because she would only end up sweaty and smelling like fish at the end of the day anyways.  
>After pulling her hair up into a messy ponytail, Emma walked back into the kitchen to find Kevin sitting at the table waiting on her.<br>"Wow," Kevin smiled at her as he stood up, "I like that look," he noted out loud.  
>"What?" Emma asked with a soft embarrassed laugh as she looked down at herself.<br>"The simple country girl look. You pull it off well," Kevin complimented as he softly pushed back a strand of fallen hair out of her face.  
>"Thank you," Emma blushed. She was still getting use to all of Kevin's sweet gestures towards her, but she did love it.<br>"You ready to go catch some fish?" Kevin asked with playful grin.  
>"Am I ready?" Emma asked in a sassy tone, "of course I'm ready," she finished with a confident smile.<p>

While Emma was talking with Kevin in the kitchen, Piper threw on a knee length khaki skirt, matched with a canary yellow halter top. She left her bedroom, enthusiastically, to meet Nick downstairs. He was waiting for her in a pair of charcoal gray cargo shorts with a navy blue polo.  
>"You look great, but that doesn't look like a very good horse riding outfit," he said with a smile.<br>"Yeah, we may have to put that up for another time. Let's just head to the driving range and see where the day takes us. It's early enough we could make it to the track and watch horse races," Piper explained as they got in the Hummer and drove into town.

"So how long did you live up here?" Nick asked as he drove through the country roads to the little town of Amsterdam.  
>"Until I was 12, then my family moved to Nashville, then onto Birmingham where I met Emma," Piper answered before asking, "Have you ever been in this part of New York other than the lake area?"<br>"Not really, we usually don't have time to do anything," Nick answered with a degree of sadness in his voice.  
>Piper thought for a moment before speaking, "How badly do you wanna hit golf balls?" she asked with a grin.<br>Nick looked over at her with a quizzical face, "What did you have in mind?"  
>"Instead of going to Amsterdam, we can head to Saratoga; forget about seeing old friends. We could walk to downtown and then maybe go to the racetrack. It's a classic downtown, and there's some live music where we could also grab lunch," Piper suggested, getting more excited by the minute.<br>Nick agreed, happy to see Piper so excited. They then headed to Saratoga to walk through downtown together.

Kevin held Emma's hand as he walked her back down to the boat that they had been in just the night before.  
>He climbed in first then held his hand out for her.<br>"Thank you," Emma said sweetly as she gladly accepted, giving Kevin's hand a small squeeze before she climbed into the boat as well. They two were enjoying the boat ride and the beautiful day, until Emma started to feel a little sick to her stomach...

Nick and Piper pulled into Saratoga around 11 and parked. Nick unfortunately had to put his sunglasses and Yankees hat on before they got out to walk around.  
>Nick grabbed Piper's hand as they made their way up to the main road. Piper was so excited to be back in her hometown.<br>They first headed to Borders, the local bookstore, where Piper jokingly grabbed a Jonas Brothers book and started flipping through it.  
>"Seriously? You can just ask me anything you want to know, you don't need a book," Nick said quietly with a chuckle, before playfully snatching the book at out her hands.<br>Piper grinned back, "I know. Just having fun with you," she said with a wink.  
>He smiled silently as she got up and went straight for the Starbucks. They ordered some coffee and sat in the music section looking at different CD's that they both enjoyed...<p>

"These waves are a little rough out here," Emma noted as her and Kevin began to head out into the river, "the rivers back in Alabama are never this harsh."  
>"That's because this river leads right into the ocean," Kevin stated, "and last night it was calmer because it was night-time."<br>"Oh," Emma said softly. She didn't want to mention to Kevin that she got motion sick very easily, so she just sat back and tried to enjoy the ride...

After the bookstore, Nick and Piper grabbed lunch at Thai Garden and then stopped by a bakery for dessert. Both Nick and Piper ordered cupcakes, but Piper grabbed both of them before they made their way to a table.  
>"Would you like to try a bite of mine?" Piper asked sweetly. Little did Nick know that she had a plan up her sleeve.<br>"Sure," Nick said as he moved in closer to Piper. She then held up the cupcake for him, and right as Nick was about to take a bite, Piper shoved the cupcake upwards getting icing all in Nick's nose.  
>"Haha!" Piper laughed loudly, "That's for spraying cheese on my face!" she yelled in victory.<br>"It's ok," Nick laughed, "you just wait," he finished with a playful glare as he tried to wipe all the frosting off his face.  
>After getting Nick cleaned up the two headed over to the racetrack.<br>"I'm not gonna lie, I've never bet on a horse race before," Nick admitted as they entered the track and headed toward the stable so Piper could get a look at the horses.  
>Piper smiled up at Nick, "Well, don't ask me for advice because I pick for the names. It hasn't really proved a great strategy yet," she said, giggly.<br>Nick just smiled at her as they watched the jockeys practice on the mini track with their horses. While they were standing there, Piper couldn't help but overhear someone shouting out her name. She turned around to see her friend Suzanne and her exboyfriend Chris walking towards her and Nick.  
>"Who are those people?" Nick whispered to Piper as he took a step closer to her.<br>"That's my best friend from New York, Suzie and my ex Chris," Piper answered, "Don't worry, he's a jerk."  
>Chris and Suzie walked up to where Piper and Nick were standing. Both hugged Piper warmly before Chris asked, "Who is this?" referring to Nick.<br>Nick stepped slightly in front of Piper, in a possessive stance and answered, "I'm her boyfriend, Nicholas."  
>He stuck his hand out to shake Chris' in a very out of character intimidating way.<br>Piper smirked at his choice of name before hearing Suzanna speak up, "You got a boyfriend and didn't tell me?"  
>"I'm sorry; if it makes you feel better it's kinda a new thing," Piper apologized to her friend and quickly excused herself and Nick to the betting area.<br>Piper embarrassed by the situation apologized, "Sorry about that."  
>Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said, "It's ok, I liked getting to tell people who I am. Plus, I think I had that Chris guy scared out of his mind," he finished with a triumphant laugh.<p>

Luckily for Emma, the ride out to the middle of the lake wasn't too long and soon the boat was idle as the two baited their hooks.  
>"I have never seen a girl not be afraid to touch worms before," Kevin said as he put his worm on the hook.<br>"Ha," Emma laughed, "the worms are nothing...it's the crickets that get me," she said as she pretended to shiver in horror, causing Kevin to laugh.

It wasn't long until both of their hooks were baited and in the water. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before Kevin felt his first nibble.  
>"I think I got something," he said excitedly as he began to reel in his line, only to pull in nothing.<br>"But I know I felt something," Kevin said sadly as he checked to make sure his bait was still there.  
>"Aw sweetie it's ok," Emma said as she patted his back, "it happens all the time. Just be glad they left your bait. Next time you feel something, give it a second and wait until you feel a <em>snug<em>tug at your line, then reel it in," she finished, giving him a little advice.

A couple minutes later, Emma excitedly started to reel in her line. The reeling was easy at first, but soon she started to have a little struggle.  
>"Do you need some help?" Kevin asked as he sat his rod down and made his way over to her.<br>"Yes!" she exclaimed, still struggling.  
>Kevin stood behind Emma as he wrapped his arms from around her and grabbed the fishing pole, making it easier for Emma to reel in the fish.<br>"Oh my gosh!" Emma exclaimed as she finally got the fish in the boat. It was a pretty good sized rainbow trout.  
>"Good job!" Kevin said excitedly, after they finally got the fish in the cooler. Emma could only smile as she sat down, exhausted after her battle.<br>She didn't want to say anything, but she could feel herself getting sicker and sicker, especially after that whole ordeal with reeling in the fish.  
>"I think I'm gonna take a break," Emma said tiredly as she laid her pole down in the floor of the boat.<br>Kevin laughed, "Did just one fish take all your energy?" Emma was thankful that he didn't know she was actually just sick from the boat's rocking.  
>"Yeah," she said with a forced smile as she sat back in her seat and tried to calm herself.<br>It wasn't long until Kevin started catching fish of his own. Emma would smile and congratulate him every time, but it was taking so much energy that she wasn't sure how much longer she could take being out on the water.

When Piper and Nick sat down with their tickets to mark their bets, she couldn't wait any longer, "So I'm your girlfriend, huh?" she smirked.  
>"That's what I assumed," Nick said in a nervous tone, causing Piper to giggle.<br>Nick then cleared his throat before speaking again, "Anyways, I was trying to ask you this last night but you fell asleep, do you and Emma want join me and Kevin in LA this weekend? We're going to try and shoot the video again and I'd really like to have you there," he requested with a cute pleading tone.  
>Piper smiled back, "Yeah that should work out perfectly, neither one of us work on the weekend. I'm definitely game."<br>They spent some time betting on some races, which Nick won most of, and then they decided to get back in the Hummer to head back to the lake house, hopefully to have fish for dinner with Emma and Kevin.

About an hour later of sitting under the sun and feeling the boat still rocking, Emma couldn't hide her feelings of being sick anymore. She became pale faced and her hands began to shake, as she slowly laid herself stomach-down across two seats at the front of the boat.  
>"Emma, are you ok?" Kevin asked in a concerned tone, as he put his fishing rod down and moved into a kneeling position in front of her.<br>"I don't feel so good," she managed to whisper weakly.  
>"What's wrong?" Kevin asked worriedly as he softly caressed Emma's cheek.<br>"I think the waves are making me sick," she groaned as she closed her eyes tightly.  
>"Do you wanna go back in?" Kevin asked softly as he continued to gently stroke the side of her face.<br>All she could do was nod in response.  
>"Ok," Kevin whispered as he gave Emma a comforting rub on the back and quickly made his way over to the seat behind the wheel.<br>Kevin drove the boat quickly, but carefully back to the dock so he wouldn't make Emma any sicker.  
>"We're almost there," he comforted, as Emma laid with her eyes closed.<br>It wasn't long until Kevin reached the dock and tied up the boat.  
>"Come on," Kevin whispered softly as he reached down and picked Emma up, cradling her in his arms.<br>"I'm sorry," Emma whispered out, embarrassed about how sick she had become in only a matter of hours.  
>"No, I'm the one who is sorry. I had no idea you would get so sick. I feel terrible," Kevin said as they made their way into the house.<br>Emma only shook her head 'no,' as she was too weak to argue with him.

Kevin made his way into his room since it was the closest of all bedrooms and gently laid Emma down in his bed.  
>"I'll be right back," he said softly before leaning down and kissing her forehead.<br>Emma weakly smiled at the touch of Kevin's soft lips against her skin.  
>She closed her eyes and made herself comfortable in Kevin's bed as she snuggled into his pillows.<br>It felt so much better to be on something cool, soft, and not moving. She immediately started to feel better as sleep began to take over.  
>Just as she was on the verge of sleep, she felt Kevin sit down beside her. Emma peeked open her eyes so she could grab his hand and pull him down next to her.<br>Kevin silently obliged as he laid down next to her. Emma moved her head into the crook of his neck as she cuddled up to him.  
>Kevin smiled softly as he wrapped his arm around Emma and pulled her closer into him. Emma, in return, wrapped her arm around Kevin's midsection. She was soon soothed to sleep by the feeling of Kevin running his fingers softly through her hair.<p> 


End file.
